Hickory, NC – Frye Regional Medical Center has been awarded the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines Participating Hospital Award for Coronary Artery Disease and Heart Failure. The award was presented by American Heart Association Vice President of Quality Ron Cromartie on Thursday, December 1. Frye is only hospital in the Unifour area to receive this recognition.
Get With The Guidelines is designed to ensure that patients with cardiovascular disease are consistently treated and discharged with appropriate medications and instructions to help reduce the patient’s risk of a second heart attack or stroke. The quality improvement program has three modules: coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.
“The American Heart Association applauds Frye for its commitment to implement the appropriate standards of care and protocols to reduce the number of recurrent events in coronary patients,” said Gray Ellrodt, M.D., chairman for the American Heart Association’s GWTG Steering Committee.
Under GWTG -CAD, patients begin aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering medications, aspirin, ACE inhibitors/ARB’s and beta-blockers in the hospital and receive smoking cessation, weight management counseling, and referrals for cardiac rehabilitation or exercise prescription before they are discharged. The GWTG –heart failure patients are counseled to follow guidelines such as ACE-inhibitor and beta-blocker therapy, hypertension control, smoking cessation, weight management and understanding the signs and symptoms of heart failure and what to do if their condition worsens. Hospitals that receive recognition for participation in the GWTG demonstrate that they have formed a dedicated team to help guide the hospital towards these goals and have begun implementing these procedures at their facilities.
“Frye Regional Medical Center is committed to providing the highest level of cardiac care to the residents of our community,” said Frye President and CEO Denny Bruns. “This award is a true reflection of our dedication.”
According to the American Heart Association, more than 450,000 people suffer a recurrent heart attack each year. Statistics also show that within one year of an attack, 25 percent of men and 38 percent of women will die. Within six years after a heart attack, about 22 percent of men and 46 percent of women will be disabled with heart failure. Projections have shown that implementation of cardiovascular disease secondary prevention guidelines nationwide, as promoted in the GWTG-CAD program alone, could result in saving more than 80,000 lives each year.
Frye Regional Medical Center, part of Tenet North Carolina, is a 355-bed acute care facility located at 420 North Center Street in Hickory, NC. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Catawba County since 1911. The hospital’s main campus includes a comprehensive heart center and cardiac rehab, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, pediatrics, center for neurosciences, cancer center and women’s pavilion. Frye has several extended campuses to serve families throughout the area including: Wellness and Education Center which houses the Center For Diabetes Self-Management Care, perinatal education and community wellness classes; South Campus for psychiatric services; Viewmont and Tate Surgery Centers; Vein and Wound Center/Infusion Care; Pain Center; Piedmont Therapy, offering sports and industrial rehabilitation; an urgent care facility; FryeCare, an outpatient diagnostic facility; Alexander Campus, which provides 24 hour emergency care along with diagnostic and laboratory services and infusion care; plus HealthPoint, which provides extensive industrial services and programs to employers.
Frye Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about the hospital, visit www.fryemedctr.com |