To receive the award, White Plains Hospital Center achieved 85 percent or higher adherence to all “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Performance” indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals. In addition, WPHC achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of the 10 “Get WithThe Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures”, which are reporting initiatives to measure quality of care.   These measures include aggressive use of medications, such as t-PA, anti-thrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation, all aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.

One of the most noticeable successes this year is the dysphagia screening tool. With collaboration from the Emergency Department and Speech Language Pathology, the Nursing Division revised the process and increased compliance to 90% for 2009.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award demonstrates White Plains Hospital Center’s commitment to being one of the top hospitals in the country for providing aggressive, proven stroke care,” said Susana DeAlmeida, RN, Nurse Manager of the 4E Stroke Unit.  “We will continue with our focus on providing care that has been shown in the scientific literature to quickly and efficiently treat stroke patients with evidence-based protocols,” said DeAlmedia.

“Get With The Guidelines–Stroke” uses the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a patient has had a stroke, when they are most likely to listen to and follow their healthcare professionals’ guidance.   White Plains Hospital Center’s process of concurrent data collection allows us to improve our outcomes.  Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke. With the collaboration among members of the interdisciplinary stroke team, WPHC has been successful in achieving the Gold Award for the fourth year in a row.

White Plains Hospital Center

White Plains Hospital Center (WPHC) is a 292-bed voluntary, not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of offering high quality, acute health care and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas.  Centers of Excellence include the Dickstein Cancer Treatment Center, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center and The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center. Other specialty programs include The Westchester Orthopedic Institute and minimally invasive and robotic surgery.  The Hospital has the busiest Emergency Department in Westchester County, treating 48,000 patients a year.  White Plains Hospital Center is an eight-time winner of the Consumer Choice Award, an honor given to the nation’s top hospitals by the National Research Corporation. WPHC is a member of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and the Stellaris Health Network, Inc.  For additional information, visit http://www.wphospital.org.