AdventHealth Wesley Chapel Earns National Recognition for Efforts To Improve Stroke Treatment

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Early detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and speeding recovery times.

“We are thankful for once again being recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival after a stroke,” said Erik Wangsness, President and CEO of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. “We work hard every day to provide the highest quality of care, and to have that work recognized is gratifying.”

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist healthcare professionals to provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients. Each year program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients.

“This recognition highlights our daily commitment to providing expert, compassionate care to our community,” said Dawn Hicks-Waldron, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. “This recognition is a testament to the work and dedication that our team brings each and every day.”

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel also received the Association’s Target: Stroke^SM Elite Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

Additionally, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”

“We are pleased to recognize AdventHealth Wesley Chapel for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

About AdventHealth Wesley Chapel

From state-of-the-art equipment to the most intricate building details, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel was designed from the ground up to maximize healing, patient care, and wellness.

Since opening in October of 2012, the hospital has been recognized as a leader in patient satisfaction, quality, and safety, earning national recognitions including, being the only hospital in Tampa Bay to receive a 5-star CMS ranking in 2020. The hospital offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient health services, including surgery, imaging and rehabilitation services, emergency services for adults and children, and Inspiration Place, a comprehensive women’s health center that incorporates female physician specialists, women’s imaging, pelvic floor and female physical therapy and a boutique spa. In addition, the hospital opened in January 2018 an offsite 24 bed, 24/7 emergency room in Central Pasco to better serve the emergency health needs of residents in west and central Pasco. In 2021, the hospital opened a new 100,000 square foot medical office building on campus, a new Oncology unit with 24 in-patient rooms, and two new Operating Rooms. The hospital features a 50,000 sq. ft. community fitness, Wellness Center, and a wide range of community offerings such as health and wellness presentations, screenings, and events.

For more information about AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, visit www.AHWesleyChapel.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealthWesleyChapel

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 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 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.