NSMC News Releases

North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) Salem Hospital and Union Hospital have been recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association with the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) Gold Plus Award. Salem Hospital was also awarded Target Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll.

“Stroke is a medical emergency, it needs to be diagnosed quickly in order to minimize or prevent brain damage and possible complications,” said Eileen Allosso, N.P., the Stroke Program coordinator at NSMC. “Our hospitals have a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke. These treatments include using clot-busting drugs and/or evaluation for clot retrieval, both of which have been shown to significantly reduce the damage caused by the stroke. For patients admitted to our hospitals, we work to find the cause of the stroke, provide the best treatment for the stroke and recommend ways to avoid another stroke.”

The Gold Achievement Award demonstrates the hospital’s commitment to quality and the ability to work as a team that is dedicated to providing patients with care that is appropriate and based on the latest clinical guidelines. Specifically, the hospital has achieved and sustained 85% or higher adherence to specific evidence-based guidelines over a 24-month consecutive time period. In addition, both Salem and Union hospitals attained Gold Plus recognition by reaching 75% in added quality measures.

“The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize North Shore Medical Center Salem Hospital and North Shore Medical Center Union Hospital for their commitment to stroke care,” said Paul Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee. “Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program.” North Shore Medical Center Salem Hospital also achieved Target Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll which recognizes the hospital’s time to thrombolytic therapy within 60 minutes in 75 percent or more of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with IV tPA, as well as a door-to-needle time of 45 minutes in 50 percent of patients.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth most common cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

Get With The Guidelines is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001.

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North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) is a multi-site health system headquartered in Salem, Mass., which includes NSMC Salem Hospital, NSMC Union Hospital in Lynn, MassGeneral for Children at North Shore Medical Center, NSMC Heart Center, and the physician network known as North Shore Physicians Group. NSMC and Massachusetts General Hospital together provide care at the Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care and the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers. NSMC is a member of Partners HealthCare, which was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. #northshoremed