ARLINGTON, Texas — Multiple Texas Health hospitals and joint ventures were recently recognized by the American Heart Association for their advanced care of patients with heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.

Sixteen Texas Health facilities received Get With The Guidelines^® recognition for heart attack treatment, and 14 were honored for stroke and diabetes care.

“No matter the cardiovascular or neurological condition, Texas Health is committed to providing North Texans with the care they deserve, right where they live,” said Kirk King, Texas Health’s Hospital Channel chief operating officer. “Regardless of ZIP code, providing necessary resources close to home is important to individuals, but offering compassionate care matters most.”

For more than a decade, strokes have been the No. 5 cause of death in the U.S. and in Texas. According to the American Heart Association, the number of adults in the U.S. who will have a stroke will unfortunately double to 20 million between 2020 and 2050.

When it comes to heart disease, the American Heart Association determined another alarming trend. Deaths from heart failure, arrythmia and hypertensive heart disease have increased by more than 80% in the U.S.; and together, heart disease and strokes claim more lives each year than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases combined.

For Sunita Koshy-Nesbitt, M.D., M.B.A., a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist, national recognition goes beyond high scores and accolades.

“It’s exciting that so many of our facilities have been recognized by the American Heart Association for their commitment to providing quality care,” said Koshy-Nesbitt, who also serves as Texas Health’s Hospital Channel chief quality officer and as chief medical and quality officer for Texas Health Physicians Group.

“With more than 25 Texas Health locations across North Texas, we are fully involved in the fight against heart disease, stroke and diabetes, and we are committed to providing North Texans with the comprehensive care they deserve.”

Cardiovascular Accolades

The American Heart Association honors facilities for their commitment to treatment guidelines and quality improvement. The recognition for heart attack care was based on achievement in the Get With The Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease program, which focuses on both STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) and NSTEMI (non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction).

The abbreviations describe three specific cardiovascular conditions:

• ST-elevation myocardial infarction is a lethal type of heart attack that involves full blockage of a coronary artery.
• Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction is normally less damaging to the heart and is a partial blockage of a coronary artery or a blockage of a minor heart blood vessel.
• Non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) is a partial blockage of a coronary artery or a blockage of a minor heart blood vessel.

In addition, Get With The Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition, honors facilities in rural areas that enhance acute cardiac care and eliminate healthcare disparities.

Referring centers – facilities capable of stabilizing and transferring cardiovascular patients, as well as receiving centers – those higher-level hospitals providing specialized care, were recognized with the Get With The Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease honor.

Texas Health facilities earning Get With The Guidelines – STEMI recognition are:

• Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital — Referring Silver Plus
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance — Receiving Gold
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth — Receiving Gold Plus
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford — Receiving Bronze
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth — Receiving Bronze Plus
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville — Referring Bronze
• Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington* — Receiving Gold Plus
• Texas Health Hospital Frisco* — Receiving Gold
• Texas Health Hospital Mansfield* — Receiving Silver
• Texas Health Huguley Hospital Fort Worth South* — Receiving Gold Plus
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen — Receiving Gold Plus
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas — Receiving Silver Plus
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton — Receiving Gold Plus
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound* — Referring Bronze
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano — Receiving Gold Plus

Texas Health facilities recognized with the Get With The Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI award are:

• Texas Health Allen — Silver
• Texas Health Alliance — Gold
• Texas Health Arlington Memorial — Silver
• Texas Health Dallas — Gold
• Texas Health Denton — Gold
• Texas Health Fort Worth — Gold
• Texas Health Flower Mound — Silver
• Texas Health Frisco — Silver
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne — Bronze
• Texas Health Heart & Vascular Arlington — Gold
• Texas Health HEB — Gold
• Texas Health Huguley — Gold
• Texas Health Plano — Gold
• Texas Health Southwest — Gold
• Texas Health Stephenville — Bronze

Texas Health recipients of the Get With The Guidelines - Rural Coronary Artery Disease award are:

• Texas Health Cleburne — NSTE-ACS Gold
• Texas Health Stephenville — STEMI Gold and NSTE-ACS Silver

Commitment to Stroke Care

To earn the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines - Stroke recognition, hospitals must meet specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke and heart failure patients for a set period (24 consecutive months or more for gold, 12 months for silver and three months for bronze).

These measures include proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with current, evidence-based guidelines, with the goal of expediting recovery and reducing death and disability for patients.

The Stroke Rural Recognition honor goes to rural hospitals providing timely acute stroke care, which includes emergency medical services, brain imaging and virtual stroke consultations.

The following received Get With The Guidelines - Stroke awards for 2025: 

• Texas Health Allen — Silver Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
• Texas Health Alliance — Gold Plus
• Texas Health Arlington Memorial — Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll
• Texas Health Cleburne — Silver Plus 
• Texas Health Dallas — Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
• Texas Health Denton — Silver Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll
• Texas Health Fort Worth — Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll with Advanced Therapy; as well as Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal
• Texas Health Frisco — Silver Plus
• Texas Health HEB — Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll
• Texas Health Huguley — Gold Plus
• Texas Health Mansfield — Gold Plus
• Texas Health Plano — Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
• Texas Health Southwest — Silver Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
• Texas Health Stephenville — Silver Plus with Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll 

Texas Health recipients of the Get With The Guidelines - Rural Stroke Recognition are:

• Texas Health Cleburne — Bronze
• Texas Health Stephenville — Gold

Diabetes Recognition

Fourteen Texas Health facilities received additional honors, earning the Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes recognition for commitment to providing the most up-to-date, evidence-based care for individuals living with Type 2 diabetes who are hospitalized for a stroke. The more prestigious Honor Roll recognition, earned by 12 Texas Health facilities, highlights organizations that have also earned Silver level or higher Get With The Guidelines honors.

Recipients recognized for Target: Type 2 Diabetes are:

• Texas Health Flower Mound
• Texas Health Heart & Vascular Arlington

Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recipients are:

• Texas Health Allen
• Texas Health Alliance
• Texas Health Arlington Memorial
• Texas Health Cleburne
• Texas Health Dallas
• Texas Health Denton
• Texas Health Fort Worth
• Texas Health Frisco
• Texas Health HEB
• Texas Health Huguley
• Texas Health Plano
• Texas Health Southwest

To learn more about Texas Health’s specialized services, click on diabetes treatment, heart and vascular care and stroke care.

*This facility is a joint venture involving Texas Health Resources.