Cottage Health Nationally Recognized for Its Commitment to High-Quality Stroke Care

The American Heart Association presents the Get With The Guidelines awards for proven
dedication to best practices and life-saving care

Cottage Health has received two American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards for demonstrating a commitment to research-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

• Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus award with Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll - Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, recognized for ensuring stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care.
• Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Rural Bronze recognition - Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, recognized for efforts to optimize stroke care and strive to eliminate rural health care outcome disparities.

“We are proud our team is being recognized for the important work we do every day to improve the lives of people in Santa Barbara County and along the Central Coast who are affected by stroke, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and survival,” said Dr. Philip Delio, Medical Director of the Stroke Program at Cottage Health.

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. Studies show patients can improve recovery by consistently following treatment guidelines.

Get With The Guidelines put 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. As Get with the Guideline participants, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and Santa Ynez Cottage Hospital qualified for the awards by demonstrating commitment to improving quality care.

“We are pleased to recognize Cottage Health for its commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said John Warner, M.D., FAHA, past president of the American Heart Association and CEO of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Hospitals that follow the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols often see improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”