UConn Health

July 18, 2023 | Jennifer Walker - UConn Health

UConn John Dempsey Hospital Nationally Recognized for Commitment to Providing High-Quality Stroke Care.  

"We are the highest level of care," says Jennifer Sposito, the UConn Health Stroke Center’s clinical program coordinator. “Patients requiring thrombectomy or any neurosurgical procedure are able to come directly to UConn to be cared for immediately without the need to transfer to a higher level of care."

The Stroke Center team: Sanjay Mittal MD, Margaret Darin PA, Lyndsay Escajeda RN BSN, Jennifer Sposito RN MSN, Hanna Anctil RD, Nicholas Mulligan APRN, Christine Zaczynski SLP , nurse manager Patricia Hurley RN, BSN, Lisa Iwanicki RN, Sean Johnston RPh, and Gracia Mui MD on a hospital floor at UConn Health on April 13, 2021 (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

UConn John Dempsey Hospital has again received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus Award quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines-Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

In addition to the gold status, UConn John Dempsey Hospital has earned two additional distinctions: “Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite,” for meeting specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase, and “Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll,” which aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

“I’m so proud of my team that we have consistently been able to achieve Gold Plus status as well as adding diabetes recognition to our status, which means we have adopted best practices to achieve excellent door-to-needle times, provide excellent care for our stroke and diabetes patients based on the latest AHA recommendations, and have adopted evidence-based guidelines at our institution,” says Dr. Sanjay Mittal, the UConn Health Stroke Center’s medical director.

This award recognizes the UConn Health Stroke Center for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

“We are so proud of the advanced thrombectomy-capable stroke center winning another Gold status, highlighting our excellence in high-quality stroke care,” says Jennifer Sposito, the UConn Health Stroke Center’s clinical program coordinator. “Patients requiring thrombectomy or any neurosurgical procedure are able to come directly to UConn to be cared for immediately without the need to transfer to a higher level of care. We are the highest level of care.”

At UConn Health, a team of experts provides fast, efficient care for patients experiencing symptoms of stroke and personalized, ongoing care for patients who have already experienced a stroke or have other risk factors.