Bridgeport Hospital Recognized For High-Quality Stroke Care

Information from Bridgeport Hospital:

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Bridgeport Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines ® –Stroke Silver Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. 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.

“Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing world class quality stroke care by adhering to the
latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely, safe and quality care
for stroke patients on a daily basis. This allows us to ensure more people in our Bridgeport
community experience longer, healthier lives,” said Jennifer Reynolds, MSN, RN, stroke
program manager at Bridgeport Hospital.

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization
has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment
guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage
their health and recovery at home.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Bridgeport Hospital for its commitment to caring for
patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart
Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of
fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “Participation in Get
With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and
lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”

Bridgeport Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Elite award.
To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between
an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.

The hospital was also awarded the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™
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.