Community Memorial Earns National Award for High-Quality Stroke Care

Community Memorial Healthcare is proud to announce that its Ventura Hospital has once again received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. This accreditation recognizes the hospital for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized research-based guidelines.

Community Memorial Hospital – Ventura earned the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for 2024 by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluating the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines, with the goal of enhancing recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

“Our physicians and staff are dedicated to continuous excellence in stroke and cardiovascular care,” said Mick Zdeblick, President & CEO, Community Memorial Healthcare. “This recognition from the American Heart Association underscores our commitment to not only meeting clinical standards, but to implementing research-based best practices to achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients following a stroke.”

Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. 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-Stroke was developed to help healthcare professionals provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients. Each year, program participants apply for award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients.

Community Memorial also received two additional awards — the Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, and the Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll for 2024, both national recognitions for hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines program. Hospitals receive these honors if they meet high performance criteria for the speed of treatment for stroke patients, and if they ensure that patients with Type 2 diabetes who may be at higher risk for complications receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.