Aspirus Medford Hospital receives four WI Stroke Coalition Awards

Aspirus Medford Hospital receives Transitions of Care: Last Know Well , Defect-Free Care, Follow Up Appointment and Checking Blood Pressure at Home or in the Community Awards from the Wisconsin Stroke Coalition relating to Stroke Systems of Care.

The Annual Performance Awards are an opportunity for the Wisconsin Stroke Coalition to recognize excellence in Stroke Systems of Care over the past year. The awards that Aspirus Medford Hospital received are from the EMS, Hospitals, and Post Hospital Discharge and Outcomes categories with Aspirus Medford categorized as a small hospital with less than 110 beds. Awards are described as: The award for Last Know Well is given to the hospital with the highest percent of cases with the Last Known Well field completed.

The award for Defect-Free Care is given to the hospital with the highest percent of Defect-Free Care within the 10 Consensus CDC/COV measures.

The Follow Up Appointment award is given to the hospital(s) with the highest percentage of stroke patients who had a follow-up appointment scheduled prior to discharge.

The Checking Blood Pressure at Home or in the Community award is given to the hospital(s) with the highest percentage of stroke patients who report monitoring their blood pressure at home or in the community (e.g. fire station, pharmacy, grocery store).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has funded stroke quality improvement initiatives since 2001, providing competitive grants to state health departments to support the development of stroke systems of care. This funding is called the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Prevention Program (Coverdell), named after Georgia Senator Paul Coverdell who suffered and died of a stroke while serving in Congress.

In 2021, Wisconsin was one of thirteen states to receive funding in the latest iteration of the Coverdell grant program, extending Wisconsin’s ongoing participation in Coverdell since 2012. During this three-year Coverdell grant period, the focus will be to demonstrate improvement across stroke systems of care—from EMS response to inpatient care to post-discharge care and rehabilitation. The program will also work with hospitals and health systems to link and monitor patient level data across the continuum of care.

“It is an honor for our hospital and ambulance service to be recognized by the Wisconsin Stroke Coalition for performing so well,” said Aspirus Medford President, Dale Hustedt. “It’s a testimony that we are giving the community top-level care!”

All Wisconsin hospitals are invited to be part of the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program. The aim of the program is to support the implementation of comprehensive stroke systems for individuals at highest risk for stroke events and to improve the quality of care for stroke patients across the continuum of care.

Someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds. Use BE FAST to recognize sign of a stroke. Balance, Eyes, Face drooping or numbness, Arm weakness, Speech diffi culty, Terrible headache. If you or someone you know is experiencing signs of a stroke call 911 for emergency assistance.

Source: Coverdell Stroke Program in WI www. coverdellwi.org.