Baptist Golden Triangle is Nationally Recognized for Its Commitment to Providing High-Quality Stroke Care

07/24/2023

Local Contact: Megan Pratt Marketing Director Phone: 662-242-2008 Cell phone: 205-454-1132 E-mail: megan.pratt@bmhcc.org Ashleigh Guyton Coordinator, Community Relations Phone: 662-244-1132 Cell Phone: 662-548-2636 E-mail: Ashleigh.guyton@bmhcc.org

Columbus, Miss., July 18, 2023 – Baptist Memorial Hospital – Golden Triangle has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® - Stroke GoldPlus 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 No. 5 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 blocked either by a clot or by 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.

              “Baptist Golden Triangle is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Baptist hospital Administrator Rob Coleman. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in the Golden Triangle can experience longer, healthier lives,” he added.
            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 Baptist Golden Triangle for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., 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.”

            Baptist Golden Triangle also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll 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 the clot-buster alteplase. 

With 323 beds, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle is one of the largest regional hospitals affiliated with the Memphis, Tennessee-based Baptist Memorial Health Care system. More than 100 physicians and surgeons, representing almost every medical specialty, practice at the hospital that offers a full range of comprehensive medical care to patients of all ages.  

In addition to the Baptist Cancer Center in Columbus and Starkville, the hospital offers a variety of other services to the community, including Baptist Behavioral Health Care for those with behavioral and mental health problems; an extensive rehabilitation department; a Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy center; a bariatric surgery program; and a new, 8-bed Geriatric Psychiatric Unit for senior adults suffering from psychological problems.

The hospital is the only hospital in the state and one of only 20 hospitals in the U.S. to have received Straight As in Patient Safety from The Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Score since the national organization began grading hospitals for patient safety in 2012.

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 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.