WakeMed Health & Hospitals is proud to once again receive recognition from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association through their coveted Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG) awards. Both WakeMed Raleigh Campus and WakeMed Cary Hospital achieved top honors for success in implementing a higher standard of care for stroke and heart failure patients.

Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus Achievement, Honor Roll Awards

Home to two Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Centers, WakeMed received the highest honors for the quality care we provide to stroke patients. WakeMed Cary Hospital and WakeMed Raleigh Campus received 2014 Gold Plus and Honor Roll awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds. Just in North Carolina – part of the nation’s “Stroke Belt” – someone is hospitalized every 20 minutes with a stroke.

These awards mean that WakeMed’s 24/7 stroke care team is committed to treating stroke patients as quickly as possible, providing a full continuum of care and improving outcomes after stroke. In fact, at least half of our eligible stroke patients receive t-PA treatment within 60 minutes of arriving at a WakeMed Emergency Department.

Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure Gold Plus Achievement Award

WakeMed Raleigh Campus and WakeMed Cary Hospital received the Get With The Guidelines®– Heart Failure Gold Plus Achievement Award from the American Heart Association (AHA). The recognition signifies that WakeMed has reached an aggressive goal of treating heart failure patients according to the guidelines of care recommended by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology.

Heart failure is a leading cause of hospitalization among adults aged 65 and older. WakeMed has led the way helping patients learn about and manage this chronic condition through its Congestive Heart Failure program. The program, started in 1999, includes monitoring the patient's condition and providing education about the disease, as well as giving them emotional support.

Additionally, WakeMed Cary Hospital takes home the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® Referring Center- SILVER Level Recognition Award. To receive this distinction, WakeMed Cary Hospital consistently followed AHA treatment guidelines for four consecutive quarters, meeting performance standards and measures to ensure STEMI, or heart attack, patients get the right care they need, as quickly as possible. Mission: Lifeline focuses on improving the system of care for these patients and, at the same time, improving care for all heart attack patients.

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