Western Baptist receives gold award from American Heart Association
Western Baptist Hospital has received a third consecutive quality award from the American Heart Association – the Gold Performance Achievement Award for coronary artery disease treatment in AHA’s Get With the Guidelines program. The hospital has received Silver and Bronze Performance Awards in the previous two years.
The award recognizes Western Baptist’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of cardiac care that effectively improves treatment of patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease. Patients receive cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin and other recommended medication in the hospital, as well as smoking cessation, weight management counseling and referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before they are discharged.
The prestigious Gold Performance Achievement Award honors hospitals that have demonstrated for 24 consecutive months that they follow the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines in at least 85 percent of its eligible heart patients.
It is a level higher than the AHA Silver Performance Achievement Award received last year, which recognized one year of following the same guidelines. The Bronze Performance Achievement Award, received two years ago, put the hospital in the top 4 percent in the U.S. for treatment of coronary artery disease.
Patrick Withrow, M.D., Vice President/Chief Medical Officer, said the new award recognizes Western Baptist’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of cardiac care to improve treatment of patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease.
“Western Baptist is dedicated to making our heart program, from the Emergency department to the cardiac unit, among the best in the country,” Dr. Withrow said. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care.”
The addition of the Baptist Heart Center in 2007 was Kentucky’s first heart center of its kind west of Louisville, and Western Baptist recently was ranked in the top 5 percent in the nation for chest pain treatment with national accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.
If you think you’re having a heart attack, don’t wait. Phone 911, or get to your nearest emergency room immediately. To speak with a registered nurse about chest pain and stroke symptoms, phone Western Baptist’s 24-hour award-winning Chest Pain Hotline at 1-800-575-1911.