Huntington Hospital's Stroke & Heart Failure Care Earn Acclaim

HUNTINGTON, NY — Huntington Hospital received two awards from the American Heart Association (AHA) for the care it provides to stroke and heart attack patients, the hospital announced in September.

The hospital was recognized by the AHA with the Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award and the Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award for using specific quality improvement measures to treat patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

"Huntington Hospital is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association with these two prestigious awards for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival and after a stroke or heart attack," said Nick Fitterman, MD, executive director of Huntington Hospital. "Get With The Guidelines-Stroke makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for patients."

Programs must demonstrate their commitment to providing quality care for patients, according to award guidelines. In addition to following treatment protocol, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once they are home.

Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and speeding recovery times, according to Huntington Hospital.

Each year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction, the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment, according to the hospital. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.