TEXARKANA, TEXAS— Wadley Regional Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines ® - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

“Wadley Regional Medical Center is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” says Dr. Khalid Malik, medical director of Wadley’s Stroke program. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our team to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in Texarkana and the surrounding communities can experience longer, healthier lives.” 

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home. 

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Wadley Regional Medical Center for its continued commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems but most especially for patients, families and communities.”
 

Wadley also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.   

Additionally, Wadley received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase.  “As Texarkana’s first designated Primary Stroke Center in 2008, our commitment and determination has not diminished,” says Sher Fomby, NP, Cardiovascular Program Director at Wadley. “We want our community to know that we continue to push forward in our efforts to provide effective, proven care to every stroke patient and we stand ready to care for you if you need it.” Sher encourages the community to be familiar with the symptoms of stroke because every minute counts. If symptoms occur, dial 911 immediately and do not wait for symptoms to get better. For more information you may visit https://www.wadleyhealth.org/services-directory/stroke-services. 
 

About Wadley Regional Medical Center
Wadley Regional Medical Center (WRMC), in partnership with physician owners and part of Steward Health Care, is a full service, general acute care hospital currently located in downtown Texarkana, TX. WRMC has been providing a wide range of health care services to greater Texarkana area residents for more than 122 years with a mission to provide comprehensive accessible medical care to the communities we serve. Offering a full range of services including, 24-hour emergency care, Level III Trauma Center, certified Primary Stroke Center, obstetrics and a Level II NICU, intensive care, general medical and surgical offerings, and a full complement of outpatient diagnostics, WRMC is fully accredited by DNV and certified by Medicare. To learn more, go to www.wadleyhealth.org. 

About Steward Health Care System: 
Nearly a decade ago, Steward Health Care System emerged as a different kind of health care company designed to usher in a new era of wellness. One that provides our patients better, more proactive care at a sustainable cost, our providers unrivaled coordination of care, and our communities greater prosperity and stability. 

As the country’s largest physician-led, tax paying, integrated health care system, our doctors can be certain that we share their interests and those of their patients. Together we are on a mission to revolutionize the way health care is delivered - creating healthier lives, thriving communities and a better world. 

Steward is among the nation’s largest and most successful accountable care organizations (ACO), with more than 5,500 providers and 43,000 health care professionals who care for 12.3 million patients a year through a closely integrated network of hospitals, multispecialty medical groups, urgent care centers, skilled nursing facilities and behavioral health centers.  Based in Dallas, Steward currently operates 41 hospitals across Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah. 

About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with 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 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.