HONOLULU – The Queen’s Medical Center – Punchbowl (Queen’s) and The Queen’s Medical Center – West Oʻahu (Queen’s-West) have received 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 require transport or admission to a hospital, time is critical.
The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment for cardiovascular events. As participants in the program, Queen’s and Queen’s-West applied for recognition by demonstrating their commitment to providing stroke and heart failure patients with the most appropriate treatment according to nationally-recognized, research-based guidelines.
“This award shows our dedication to delivering the highest quality of acute stroke care,” said Kazuma Nakagawa, MD, Medical Director of Queen’s Comprehensive Stroke Center. “Stroke is a devastating condition that can change a person’s life forever if not treated in a timely manner. Every minute during a stroke, 1.9 million brain cells are lost permanently. However, when we work together as a team to provide a definitive treatment in a timely fashion, we see miracles. We see our patients regain full brain function and go back home to their loved ones.”
The following achievement awards were presented this year:
- The Queen’s Medical Center – Punchbowl
- Stroke Gold Plus Award
- Heart Failure Gold Award
- Target Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
- Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- The Queen’s Medical Center – West O‘ahu
- Stroke Gold Plus Award
- Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll
- Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
“We are pleased to recognize Queen’s and Queen’s-West for their commitment to cardiovascular care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, 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.”
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.
Meanwhile, more than 6.5 million adults in the U.S. are living with heart failure, according to the association. Many heart failure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.
