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Kittitas Valley Healthcare awarded for efforts to improve rural stroke care

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Kittitas Valley Healthcare awarded for efforts to improve rural stroke care

The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award recognizes efforts to address the unique health needs of rural communities

ELLENSBURG, WA, July 29, 2025 — People who live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than urban counterparts and have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease and face a 30% increased risk for stroke mortality — a gap that has grown over the past two decades. , Kittitas Valley Healthcare is committed to changing that.

For efforts to optimize stroke care and eliminate rural health care outcome disparities, Kittitas Valley Healthcare  has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award.

The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, recognizes the importance of health care services provided to people living in rural areas by rural hospitals that play a vital role in initiation of timely evidence-based care. For that reason, all rural hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines- Stroke are eligible to receive award recognition based on a unique methodology focused on early acute stroke performance metrics.

“We are proud that our team at Kittitas Valley Healthcare is being recognized for the important work we do every day to improve the lives of people in Kittitas County who are affected by stroke, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and survival,” said Deb Callins, KVH Chief Nursing Officer. “As a hospital in a rural community, we deal with unique challenges, such as extended interfacility transportation times, and limited staffing resources. We’ve made it a goal to make sure those hurdles do not affect the standard of care our stoke patients receive.

“Rural communities deserve high quality stroke care. I’m proud of our team for their commitment to stroke care excellence and this achievement. “The award recognizes hospitals for their efforts toward acute stroke care excellence demonstrated by composite score compliance to guideline-directed care for intravenous thrombolytic therapy, timely hospital inter-facility transfer, dysphagia screening, symptom timeline and deficit assessment documentation, emergency medical services communication, brain imaging and stroke expert consultation.

“Patients and health care professionals in Kittitas County face unique health care challenges and opportunities,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, co-author on the American Heart Association’s presidential advisory on rural health. Kittitas Valley Healthcare has furthered this important work to improve care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”

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About Kittitas Valley Healthcare: 

Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH) proudly serves Kittitas County and surrounding rural communities as the region’s only healthcare system. Governed by a locally elected Board of Commissioners, KVH operates 25 acute care, critical care, and birthing beds, providing 24/7 emergency services and a full range of inpatient and outpatient care. Through multiple clinics and specialty services, KVH offers family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health, cardiology, dermatology, ENT, orthopedics, neurology, general and vascular surgery, and urgent care. Additional services include home health, hospice, wound care, workplace health, and rehabilitation therapy. Committed to keeping high-quality care local, KVH strives to improve access and enhance the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

About Get With The Guidelines®

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. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.

[1] American Heart Association. American Heart Association issues call to action for addressing inequities in rural health. February 10, 2020. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/american-heart-association-issues-call-to-action-for-addressing-inequities-in-rural-health; American Heart Association. Public Health AmeriCorps to address health inequity in rural communities. April 6, 2022. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/public-health-americorps-to-address-health-inequity-in-rural-communities.

[2] Harrington R, et al. Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Circulation. 2020;141:e615–e644.

Get With The Guidelines® Award

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Kittitas Valley Healthcare has been nationally recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality stroke care

The American Heart Association presents the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care

Kittitas Valley Healthcare has received the American Heart Association’s 2022 Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus 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 research- and evidence-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.

The Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us ensure more people in central Washington experience longer, healthier lives.

About Get With The Guidelines

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. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.