KentuckyOne Health Receives Multiple Honors at American Heart Association Annual Awards Luncheon - Archived

 

 

KentuckyOne Health Receives Multiple Honors at
American Heart Association Annual Awards Luncheon

 

Louisville, Ky. (June 18, 2014)—KentuckyOne Health’s Louisville market facilities received three honors from the American Heart Association at the nonprofit’s annual awards luncheon, earning recognition for excellence in heart and stroke care, as well as employee wellness initiatives.

 

Jewish Hospital received the Mission: Lifeline® Silver Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award, University of Louisville received its eighth consecutive Get With The Guidelines^® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, and the KentuckyOne Health Louisville market was once again recognized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite.

 

Jewish Hospital, part of KentuckyOne Health, received the Mission: Lifeline® Silver Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks through the hospital’s STEMI Network.

 

Each year in the United States, approximately 250,000 people have a STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to immediately restore blood flow, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

 

For patients with a complete blockage of the coronary artery, the STEMI Network ensures the fastest access to life saving care. Jewish Hospital established its STEMI Network in December 2012. The Network allows emergency medical services to transmit EKG results directly to the Jewish Hospital emergency department. If the emergency department determines the patient has elevated ST levels—a pattern on an EKG reading that indicates a total blockage—an emergency physician can alert the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab team. This protocol enables the patient to receive treatment more quickly, which helps prevent or limit permanent damage to the heart muscle.

 

“We are extremely pleased that, just 18 months after starting our STEMI network, we have obtained the highest level that we can achieve at this time from the American Heart Association,” said Sean Stewart, M.D., medical director of the STEMI Network at Jewish Hospital. “We know, and the literature is clear, that reducing the time to opening a completely blocked coronary artery results in less damage to the heart muscle.  Our STEMI network has been instrumental in helping us successfully reduce that window of time, to the benefit of our patients and the community.”

 

“Building upon the foundation of cardiovascular leadership at both Jewish Hospital’s Rudd Heart & Lung Center and the Saint Joseph Heart Institute, KentuckyOne Health has quickly become a statewide leader in heart and stroke care in the Commonwealth,” said Mark Slaughter, M.D., executive director of cardiovascular services for the KentuckyOne Health Louisville market, chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Louisville. “This latest recognition from the American Heart Association is evidence of our continued commitment to excellence for our patients.”

 

University of Louisville Hospital Honored for Stroke Care

University of Louisville Hospital, part of KentuckyOne Health, received its eighth consecutive American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, which recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines.

To receive the award, University of Louisville Hospital achieved 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures, which are reporting initiatives to measure quality of care. 

These measures include aggressive use of medications, such as antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation, all aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.    

 

In addition to the Get With The Guideline-Stroke award, University of Louisville Hospital was also named for the fourth consecutive year to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll, for improving stroke care for its commitment to providing tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, promptly after patients arrive at the hospital. A thrombolytic, or clot-busting agent, tPA is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the urgent treatment of ischemic stroke.

 

“We continue to be a leader in stroke care in the region and we’re proud to be recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for excellence in turning proven guidelines into lifelines for our patients,” said Kerri Remmel, M.D., PhD., director, University of Louisville Hospital Comprehensive Stroke Center and chair, University of Louisville Department of Neurology. “Kentucky is among the worst states for stroke mortality in the nation and we must continue to improve fast access to life saving stroke care.”

 

KentuckyOne Deemed Fit-Friendly

The KentuckyOne Health Louisville market was once again recognized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association for helping employees eat better and move more.

 

The Fit-Friendly Worksites program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce by helping worksites make their employees’ health and wellness a priority.

 

KentuckyOne Health implemented a number of wellness initiatives across its Louisville-market facilities to earn the honor. Platinum-level employers:

• Offer employees physical activity options in the workplace.
• Increase healthy eating options at the worksite.
• Promote a wellness culture in the workplace.
• Implement at least nine criteria outlined by the American Heart Association in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and culture.
• Demonstrate measurable outcomes related to workplace wellness.

 

The Fit-Friendly Worksites Program offers a unique, easy-to-implement opportunity for corporations to increase employees’ physical activity, which will help improve their health.

“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities for our employees and our communities. We are honored to once again be recognized by the American Heart Association for our programs that promote health and wellness,” said Julie McGregor, vice president, retention and engagement, KentuckyOne Health.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join us, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or any of our offices around the country, or visit heart.org.

 

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health was formed when two major Kentucky health care organizations came together in early 2012. KentuckyOne Health combines the Jewish and Catholic heritages of the two former systems – Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. In late 2012, the organization formed a partnership with the University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center.  The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients receive care. KentuckyOne Health has more than 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana.

 

###