John Muir Health Nationally Recognized for its Commitment to Providing High-Quality Heart Disease and Stroke Care by American Heart Association and American Stroke Association

Concord and Walnut Creek, CA (August 9, 2024) – Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the U.S., respectively. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines. The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recently recognized John Muir Health’s two acute care medical centers for treatment of heart disease and stroke patients.

The recognitions include:

  • Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus (Concord and Walnut Creek)
    • Commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.
  • Get With The Guidelines® - Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Gold Plus (Concord) and Gold (Walnut Creek)
    • Commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.
  • Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus (Concord and Walnut Creek)
    • 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.
  • Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll (Concord and Walnut Creek)
    • 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. 
  • Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll (Concord and Walnut Creek)
    • Ensures 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 heart disease or stroke.
  • Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll (Walnut Creek)
    • Meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke.

“John Muir Health is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment and evidence-based guidelines,” said Dr. Russell Rodriguez, chief medical officer at John Muir Health. “The recognitions from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association show that our teams put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. Our goal is to ensure more people in our community with heart disease or diabetes, or who suffer a stroke or heart attack can experience longer, healthier lives.”

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.

Stroke is 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 either blocked by a clot or 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.

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.

“These awards show John Muir Health'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, John Muir Health 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.”

About John Muir Health

John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, Alameda, and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians, 6,300 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center and a Behavioral Health Center. John Muir Health also has partnerships with UCSF Health, Tenet Healthcare/San Ramon Regional Medical Center, Stanford Children's Health, Optum, and Carbon Health. The health system offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient, and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics, and high-risk obstetrics care. 

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