MelroseWakefield Hospital recognized by the American Heart Association for its commitment to providing high-quality stroke care

Receives Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Silver Plus award and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

  MelroseWakefield Hospital, a community leader in the treatment of stroke, has been recognized by the American Heart Association with a Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Silver Plus Award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment. MelroseWakefield Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll Award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

  Stroke is a leading cause of death and of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

  Get With The Guidelines® puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

  “MelroseWakefield Hospital is proud of this and the other designations we receive for providing excellence in stroke care and response,” said MelroseWakefield Hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine Chair, Dr. Alec Walker. “Time is of the essence when treating stroke, and our communities trust in knowing they are receiving the care they need, when and where they need it, in an emergency situation.”

  MelroseWakefield Hospital is a community leader in the treatment of stroke and is designated a Primary Stroke Service hospital by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The hospital has also been named as a top 100 Hospital for Stroke Care by Healthgrades, earned The Joint Commission’s Acute Stroke Ready Hospital Re-certification and is a recipient of the prestigious Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program Defect-Free Care Award.

BE FAST Reminder of Stroke Signs

  The acronym BE FAST is a handy technique to help you quickly recognize common signs of a stroke. This outlines questions to ask about the telltale signs your friend or loved one may be having a stroke, plus action to take:

  B – Balance: Is the person suddenly having trouble with balance or coordination?

  E – Eyes: Is the person experiencing suddenly blurred or double vision or a sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes without pain?

  F – Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.

  A – Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

  S – Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred; are they unable to speak or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?

  T – Time to call 911: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately

  For more information, visit www.melrosewakefield.org.