Elkin, NC – July 29, 2025. – Hugh Chatham Health has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
This distinction places Hugh Chatham Health among an elite group of hospitals across the nation who are committed to exceptional infection prevention standards, patient safety and high-quality care in rural communities.
Stroke is the number 5 cause of death and a leading cause of 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 puts 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 research and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
“We are proud that our team at Hugh Chatham Health is being recognized for the important work we do every day to improve the lives of people in the Yadkin Valley who are affected by stroke, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and survival,” said Mary Blackburn, Chief Operations Officer. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis. The end goal is to ensure that people in our community can experience longer, healthier lives.”
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Hugh Chatham Health for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., Volunteer Chair of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
Hugh Chatham Health also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 Diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.
Hugh Chatham Health is a not-for-profit community health care network of physician clinics and an 81-bed acute care hospital that delivers high-quality, convenient health care to residents of the Yadkin Valley region of North Carolina. Employing more than 900 team members, Hugh Chatham Health includes a medical group with more than 70 providers across 24 locations, a home health care division, and joint ventures in a critical access hospital and hospice/palliative care organization. Headquartered in Elkin, North Carolina, Hugh Chatham Health has been nationally recognized for patient satisfaction, patient safety and clinical quality.
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 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
