System News

All four Roper St. Francis Healthcare hospitals have been honored by the American Heart Association with quality achievement awards for ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Roper Hospital, Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital and Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital each received a Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus award, which means they demonstrated compliance in seven areas of stroke care for more than 24 consecutive months.

“This year marks the first that all four hospitals earned the Gold Plus award, which is a significant accomplishment for the healthcare system,” said Dr. Alison Smock, a neurohospitalist and medical director of the stroke program. “We’re proud to offer the highest caliber stroke care across each of our hospitals.”

Hospitals that follow these American Heart Association’s award guidelines save more lives and reduce disabilities among patients. Strokes are the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s four hospitals each also received two additional recognitions: the Stroke Honor Roll Award for meeting specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase; and the Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award for ensuring those patients who might be at higher risk for complications receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.