CMH receives national recognition for commitment to high-quality stroke care

Awards
• 18 August 2025

Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar received 2025 Get With The Guidelines® awards from the American Heart Association.

Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Silver Plus award

The Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Silver Plus quality achievement award recognizes that CMH offers stroke patients the right treatment based on recognized, research-backed guidelines. These treatments lead to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. Part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die.

Detecting and treating strokes early is crucial. It boosts survival rates, reduces disability and speeds up recovery. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care.

Program participants can earn the award every year by showing their organization’s commitment to quality care for stroke patients. They also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

Within the Stroke Silver Plus recognition, CMH also received two additional stroke-related awards:

• Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite℠ award. CMH met the criteria by reducing the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy (clot-dissolving medicine).
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award. CMH received this award by ensuring patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized. These patients might be at higher risk for complications.

Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award

CMH received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award. CMH received the Silver award in 2024 and Bronze award in 2023.

The award recognizes their work to improve stroke care and close gaps in health care outcomes in rural areas.

People in rural areas live, on average, three years less than those in cities. They have a 40% higher likelihood of having heart disease. They face a 30% increased risk of stroke mortality, a gap that has grown over the past two decades. CMH is committed to changing that.

The award recognizes hospitals for their efforts toward excellence in acute stroke care. CMH showed composite score compliance with guideline-directed care for intravenous thrombolytic therapy (medicine to dissolve blood clots), timely hospital inter-facility transfer, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) screening, symptom timeline and deficit assessment documentation, emergency medical services communication, brain imaging and stroke expert consultation.