Onslow Memo­r­i­al Hos­pi­tal Rec­og­nized by Amer­i­can Heart Asso­ci­a­tion for Excel­lence in Stroke and Heart Fail­ure Care

Onslow Memorial Hospital (OMH) announced today it has been awarded the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure GOLD with Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, as well as the Stroke GOLD PLUS with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. These accolades are a result of OMH's continuous commitment to excellent care for stroke and heart failure patients.

"This recognition is the culmination of years of dedication and commitment to improve the health and well-being of our community," says OMH President and CEO, Dr. Penney Burlingame Deal, DHA, RN, FACHE. "The stroke team at Onslow Memorial Hospital is unrivaled in its passion, compassion, and clinical outcomes. It is a great privilege to be considered a leader in stroke care in Onslow County.”

The Heart Failure GOLD award indicates that Onslow Memorial Hospital has exceeded performance metrics for the care of patients diagnosed with heart failure, as set by the American Heart Association, for at least 24 months. The additional Honor Roll certification signifies that further target measures for heart failure patients, including evidence-based beta-blockers, timely follow-up visits, referral to heart failure disease management, patient education, and heart failure interactive workbook or referral to outpatient cardiac rehabilitation, were met or exceeded. The Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll designation determines that OMH demonstrated at least 90% compliance for 12 consecutive months for the "Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score" in the care of patients with new-onset or a previous history of diabetes within the heart failure patient population.

The Stroke GOLD PLUS label was awarded for the accomplishment of exceeding standards set by the American Heart Association for stroke patients for at least 24 consecutive months, further confirming a commitment to excellence. This award means that Onslow Memorial Hospital met or exceeded quality metrics for providing early intervention to patients suffering from a stroke, or stroke symptoms, to improve outcomes. To earn the PLUS designation, OMH also surpassed additional requirements, including stroke education and rapid diagnosis and treatment. Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll validates that OMH received high-level commendations for the care of stroke patients with diabetes.

"This recognition is a testament of the continued and sustained work to provide ongoing excellent care for our Heart Failure and Stroke patients,” says Dr. Josephine Malfitano, DNP, MBA, RN, FNP-C, NE-BC, CPHQ, Director, Performance Improvement and Accreditation. "This is a team effort that crosses multiple disciplines that support seamless work to ensure the standards set forth by the American Heart Association, in alignment with current evidenced base best practices, are hardwired in the day to day care."

With Heart Failure and Stroke being two of the top five leading causes of death in North Carolina, providing high-quality care in these areas is essential. Without the hard work and dedication of our clinical and Performance Improvement teams, this distinction would not be possible. These designations have placed OMH as a top Stroke and Heart Failure care center in Eastern North Carolina and we are proud to offer this level of excellence to our community.