The American Heart & Stroke Associations present Get With The Guidelines-stroke and heart failure awards for commitment to priority quality care for stroke and heart failure patients

GWTG 2021Orange County, Calif. – Oct. 13, 2021MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center has received two American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Gold Plus Achievement Awards for implementing quality improvement measures that ensure cardiovascular and stroke patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.

Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease – including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. For patients with conditions that are severe enough to be transported or admitted to a hospital, time is critical.

The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines programs help reduce barriers to prompt treatment for cardiovascular events. As a participant in Get With The Guidelines programs, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center applied for the award recognitions by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care for patients.

This year, Long Beach Medical Center received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke GOLD PLUS with Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Achievement Award and the Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure GOLD PLUS with Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Achievement Award.

“As healthcare professionals, our mission is to always strive to offer the best care, and do the very best for our patients,” said Ike Mmeje, chief operating officer, Long Beach Medical Center. “Awards such as these are a reminder of our patient-centric values and connection to our purpose.”

Long Beach Medical Center has been at award level since 2008, Gold since 2009 and Gold Plus since 2010.

“We are pleased to recognize MemorialCare’s Long Beach Medical Center for their commitment to cardiovascular care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the American Heart Association’s 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 American Heart Association’s quality improvement programs often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

About MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center:

MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center has been providing the community with compassionate, quality health care for more than 100 years. While leading in specialized care, research and education, Long Beach Medical Center uses the most advanced health care technologies – it is the only hospital in L.A. County with the innovative ExactechGPS® and ExcelsiusGPS® surgical systems. Long Beach Medical Center is ranked no. 7 in the Los Angeles Metro Area by U.S. News & World Report and has earned Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. With leading centers for cancer, heart, rehabilitation, orthopedics, neurology and trauma, physicians and surrounding hospitals continually refer to its accredited programs. For more information, visit memorialcare.org/LongBeach.

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