EGRMC Earns National Recognition for Efforts to Improve Cardiovascular Treatment

East Georgia Regional Medical Center (EGRMC) recently received three American Heart Association Achievement Awards for implementing quality improvement measures that ensure cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.

Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease – including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. For patients with conditions that are severe enough to be transported or admitted to a hospital, time is critical.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs help reduce barriers to prompt treatment for cardiovascular events. As a participant in Get With The Guidelines program, East Georgia Regional Medical Center applied for the award recognitions by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care for patients.

Bryan Realiza, Centers of Excellence Accreditation Manager at EGRMC, was one of the leaders that helped the facility achieve Primary Stroke Center certification in November 2020. “It takes a tremendous amount of teamwork to achieve this level of stroke care—ranging from local EMS, ER staff, neurology, radiology staff, nursing staff, and rehabilitation staff. These awards are not only a testament to the hard work we have invested into building and improving our facility’s stroke program—but also proof of our commitment to providing quality care to our community” stated Realiza.

“We are honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival and recovery after cardiovascular events,” said Stephen Pennington, CEO of East Georgia Regional Medical Center. “The Mission: Lifeline and Get with the Guidelines programs help put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for cardiovascular patients.”

This year, EGRMC received the following Achievement Awards:

• Get With The Guidelines Stroke Silver Plus Award
• Target Stroke Honor Roll
• Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

“We are pleased to recognize East Georgia Regional Medical Center for their commitment to cardiovascular care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the American Heart Association’s Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the American Heart Association’s quality improvement programs often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.

EGRMC