Both Tenet Health Central Coast Hospitals Achieve AHA/American Stroke Association’s Prestigious Stroke Gold Plus Quality Award

San Luis Obispo County, Calif. – Both Tenet Health Central Coast hospitals, Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, have received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s prestigious Get with the Guidelines / Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for 2021.

Additionally, Twin Cities has received the Target: Honor Roll recognition for 2021.

The Gold Plus award recognizes that Twin Cities and Sierra Vista have achieved the Plus Quality standard for two or more consecutive calendar years of 85% or higher adherence on all achievement measures applicable and 75 percent or higher adherence with additional select quality measures in stroke.

These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. The award also recognizes that, before discharge, Twin Cities’ and Sierra Vista’s patients receive education on managing their health, as well as other care transition interventions.

The Honor Roll for recognition is only given to facilities that achieve a “Door-to-Needle” time of less than 60 minutes for at least 75 percent of the stroke patients. The “Needle” in that phrase refers to the clot-dissolving medicine tPA (tissue Plasminogen Activator), which is the only treatment for acute ischemic stroke to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.