MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Hospitals has received multiple American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times, and fewer readmissions to the hospital.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines. 
Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline put 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 evidence- and research-based guidelines. As a participant in Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline programs, WVU Hospitals qualified for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care.
“WVU Medicine is committed to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for heart attacks and strokes,” Muhammad Alvi, M.D., director of the WVU Stroke Center within the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, said. “The Mission: Lifeline and Get with The Guidelines programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us ensure more people in our state and region experience longer, healthier lives.”
This year, WVU Medicine received these achievement awards:
- Get with the Guidelines®-Stroke GOLD PLUS
- Target Stroke ELITE PLUS
- Target Stroke ADVANCED THERAPY
- Target Type II Diabetes Honor Roll for Stroke and Heart Failure
- Get With The Guidelines Heart Failure GOLD PLUS with Target Heart Failure Honor Roll
“We’re incredibly proud of these achievements because they are an outward expression of the dedication our team demonstrates every day,” George Sokos, D.O., director of Advanced Heart Failure at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, said. “We know our team is dedicated to providing the best possible care to our patients, but recognition like this shows that others can see it as well.”
For more information on the WVU Stroke Center, visit WVUMedicine.org/Stroke. For more information on the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Heart.