Members of Mountainside Medical Center’s Stroke team pictured left to right:

Kelsey Vander Werff, Director Neurosciences; Michelle Rombough, R.N., Interim Director Emergency Department; Melissa Santoro, R.N., Stroke Coordinator; Amy Paolella, R.N., Quality Outcomes Manager; David Blady, M.D., Stroke Committee Physician Chairman; Arthur Calise, D.O., Medical Director Emergency Department; Florey Cruz-Cerpa, Community Health Manager; Andrea Maestas, medical Imaging Coordinator; Kathleen Williams, R.N., Emergency Department

 

Montclair, NJ, July , 2019 ― Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center (“Mountainside”) has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

 

Mountainside Medical Center earned the Gold Plus award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These quality achievement measures evaluate proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date guidelines, with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing stroke death and disability. Mountainside also met the criteria to receive the Target: Stroke 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. TPA is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. 

 

The hospital’s stroke team specializes in the full continuum of stroke patient care, including disease education, early rehabilitation, and short and long term follow up care. This past spring, Mountainside launched a new Neuroendovascular Stroke Program, increasing the capabilities of stroke treatments close to home. With the installation of the state-of-the-art Artis Zee biplane machine, the hospital can now facilitate a more precise diagnosis and treatment for patients presenting with ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes and other neurovascular abnormalities. 

 

The new biplane technology facilitates a complete 3D reconstruction of the brain’s blood vessels, accurately showing blood vessel mapping and irregularities to affected areas for the most complete diagnostic data possible. With assistance from the new biplane technology in the state-of-the-art cath lab, treating physicians can isolate and accurately remove clots and repair aneurysms, saving brain tissue and offering better outcomes. 

 

“Mountainside is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said John Fromhold, chief executive officer. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.” 

 

“The recent recognition of the Gold Plus Target: Stroke Honor Roll award motivates us to provide our community with the best possible quality, compassionate, and evidence-based stroke care,” said Ahsan Sattar, M.D., Director of Neuroendovascular Surgery and Stroke at Mountainside. “It is important for our neighbors to understand that skilled stroke care is available close to home. Our stroke team is dedicated to becoming a regional center for stroke excellence.”

 

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. 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.

 

About Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center

Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center has been serving Montclair and its surrounding New Jersey communities since 1891. The hospital provides patients access to innovative and effective treatment in specialized centers within the hospital focused on radiology, women’s health, oncology, surgery, bariatrics, neurosciences, stroke, and cardiovascular services. Mountainside is designated as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and The NJ State Department of Health and Senior Services and is one of only a few community hospitals licensed by the State to perform emergency neuroendovascular procedures. To learn more about Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center visit www.mountainsidehosp.com.

 

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 accelerating recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.