PHOTO PROVIDED Mount Nittany Health was recently recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality stroke care by the American Heart Association.

STATE COLLEGE — Mount Nittany Health has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and lifesaving care.

For the second consecutive year, the health system has earned a distinction on the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.

Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

“This award is a testament to Mount Nittany Health’s continued commitment to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Pete Roy, MD, neurologist at Mount Nittany Health. “This recognition underscores our organization’s dedication to delivering exceptional care to patients using well-established, evidence-driven protocols with the end goal of ensuring more people in the Centre region can experience longer, healthier lives.”

Mount Nittany Health also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes 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.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Mount Nittany Health for its commitment to caring for patients with 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, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for health care systems, families and communities.”