National Heart Association Recognizes Mission Hospital For Quality Stroke Care

This week, Mission Hospital Received the American Heart Association’s Get With The  Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to provide quality stroke care.  

Get With The Guidelines brings the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association into 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 designed to improve stroke care through consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of stroke and help prevent death. 

“Caring for people in Western North Carolina during some of the most critical moments of their lives is both a tremendous responsibility and an incredible privilege,” said Greg Lowe, President of Mission Health. “This recognition reflects the skill, teamwork and unwavering dedication of our physicians, nurses and clinical staff, who work every day to deliver exceptional stroke care when every minute counts.” 

Mission Hospital meets the standards to qualify as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, providing a comprehensive system for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients who experience stroke. Storke is the Number Four cause of death and leading cause of disability in the U.S., according to the American Heart Associations 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statics Reports. 

In addition to the Gold Plus achievement award, Mission Hospital earned the American Heart Association: Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus, Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanced Therapy, and Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll recognitions. These awards recognize hospitals that achieve rapid treatment times for eligible stroke patients receiving clot-busting medication or advanced therapies to remove a clot, while also ensuring patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the latest evidence-based care to help improve outcomes and reduce complications following a stroke. 

“We are proud to recognize Mission Hospital for its commitment to caring for people experiencing 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, including greater likelihood of being discharged home, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates, a meaningful benefit for health care systems, families and communities.”