CCHS recognized for quality heart and stroke care

DAYTON — Columbia County Health System has received two 2024 American Heart achievement awards for its commitment to following AHA guidelines for treating heart disease and stroke. The guidelines were developed to help hospitals save more lives, shorten recovery times, and have fewer readmissions to the hospital.

The CCHS received the American Heart Association’s “Get with the Guidelines” Rural Coronary Artery Disease Silver award. The silver award is presented to a rural hospital in recognition of its work with varied patient care dynamics for one calendar year.

The hospital also received a bronze award for achievement under the AHA’s “Mission: Lifeline” program.

National statistics show someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack every 40 seconds. Heart disease and stroke are the first and fifth causes of death in the U.S., respectively. Studies show adherence to the AHA guidelines improves patient recovery.

Participating hospitals receive access to American Heart and Stroke Associations’ expertise through the “Get with the Guidelines” and “Mission: Lifeline”programs. These programs help to ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence and research-based guidelines. As a participant in these programs, Columbia County Health System qualified for the awards by demonstrating their organization’s commitment to improving quality care.

“Columbia County Health System is committed to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for heart attacks and strokes,” said Gretchen Eslick, RN, DNS.  “‘The Mission: Lifeline’ and ‘Get with The Guidelines’ programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us ensure more people in our hospital district experience longer, healthier lives.”

This year, Columbia County Health System received these achievement awards:

Silver – Rural Coronary Artery Disease, NSTE-ACS

Bronze – Rural Coronary Artery Disease, STEMI Referring

 “These awards show Columbia County Health System’s commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern Medicine. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, Columbia County Health System can help realize our shared vision of improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions, and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families, and communities.”