ARLINGTON, Texas — A total of seven Texas Health Resources hospitals were recently recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for their advanced care of heart attack and stroke patients.

Five of the seven Texas Health hospitals were recognized with Mission Lifeline® awards for heart attack treatment, and six of the seven hospitals received Get With The Guidelines®awards for stroke and/or heart failure care. Both set of awards were for data submitted during 2018.

Current trends expect more than 23.6 million people globally will die from cardiovascular disease by 2030, according to the American Heart Association.

"These prestigious recognitions highlighted by the American Heart Association emphasize Texas Health's strong commitment to treating cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in North Texas and around the world," said Jeffrey Canose, M.D., Texas Health's chief operating officer. "Texas Health is on a mission to provide North Texans with the quality care they deserve and to support efforts to improve care and outcomes for patients and their families who are impacted by heart disease." 

The awards for heart attack care were based on participation and achievement in the Mission: Lifeline program (subcategorized by STEMI and NSTEMI). STEMI stands for ST elevation myocardial infarction, a lethal type of heart attack that involves full blockage of the coronary artery. NSTEMI is a non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, which is normally less damaging to the heart and is a partial blockage of the coronary artery or blockage of a minor heart blood vessel. The AHA awards recognize the Texas Health hospitals for their commitment to treatment guidelines and quality improvement for both.

For the Mission: Lifeline (STEMI) award, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton received Gold Plus recognition, while Texas Health Harris Methodist Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano earned Gold level recognition.

For the Mission: Lifeline (NSTEMI) award, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and Texas Health HEB both achieved Silver level. Bronze level awards were earned by Texas Health Dallas, Texas Health Denton, Texas Health Plano and Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington.

The Get With The Guidelines®awards recognize a hospital's commitment to providing stroke and heart failure treatment according to nationally-recognized, research-based guidelines. The goal is to expedite recovery and reduce hospital readmissions for stroke and heart failure patients.

The 2019 Get With The Guidelines Heart Failure award recipients included:

• Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital – Gold Plus and Target Heart Failure Honor Roll award levels
• Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington – Gold Plus and Target Heart Failure Honor Roll award levels

Receiving the Get With The Guidelines Stroke award for 2019 were:

• Texas Health Arlington Memorial – Gold Plus and Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll award levels
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth – Gold Plus and Target Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll award levels
• Texas Health Dallas – Gold Plus and Target Stroke Honor Roll award levels
• Texas Health Denton – Silver Plus and Target Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll award levels
• Texas Health Plano – Silver Plus and Target Stroke Honor Roll award levels

To earn these, Get With The Guidelines® recognition, hospitals must meet specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke and heart failure patients at a designated level for a set period (24 consecutive months for gold and 12 months for silver). These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with current, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before leaving the hospital, patients should receive education on managing their health, schedule a follow-up visit, along with additional care-transition resources.