Mercy Hospitals Across St. Louis Region Earn ‘Get With The Guidelines’ Award for Stroke Care

All five Mercy hospitals in the St. Louis region have again earned national recognition for their commitment to providing high-quality stroke care.

The American Heart Association issues its Get With The Guidelines –­ Stroke awards to hospitals that demonstrate their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment and follow nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, which save lives and reduce disabilities. These hospitals also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

“Experience matters when it comes to providing the most thorough, effective stroke care,” said Dr. Maheen Malik, neurologist and stroke medical director at Mercy South. “By working together across our regional hospitals, we are able to learn from each other and improve the care we provide.”

“This is particularly important for stroke patients,” said Dr. Nida Jamal, Mercy Clinic neurologist and stroke medical director at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. “Because immediate treatment is so important for surviving and recovering from a stroke, it’s vital patients know they can receive top-notch stroke care at their closest Mercy hospital.”

Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel to the brain or a blood vessel bursts, preventing oxygen from reaching the brain.

For 2023, Mercy Hospital Jefferson, Mercy Hospital South, Mercy Hospital St. Louis and Mercy Hospital Washington each earned the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus award. Mercy Hospital Lincoln earned the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Rural Bronze award. This new recognition focuses on the unique health needs of rural communities, and bronze is the highest level attainable this year.

Mercy South and Mercy St. Louis earned the additional designations of Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll, Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Mercy Jefferson and Mercy Washington earned Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll designations.

To earn Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll and Elite Honor Roll, Mercy met specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with clot-busting medication.

To earn the Target: Advanced Therapy Honor Roll designation, Mercy met specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and a thrombectomy treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke.

To earn the Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award, Mercy demonstrated that it 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.

In addition to these awards, Mercy South is a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center, Mercy Hospital St. Louis is a Joint Commission Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center, and both facilities are Missouri Level 1 Stroke Centers.