NGMC earns 17 national awards from American Heart Association

Published: Thursday, August 29, 2024

Northeast Georgia Health System’s (NGHS) commitment to giving patients the highest-quality care for heart failure, stroke, diabetes and more is earning national recognition.

The American Heart Association recently presented the system’s Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) hospitals with 17 awards through the national Get With The Guidelines program honoring excellence in quality improvement, which leads to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

“NGHS is committed to improving care and streamlining processes to lead the way in providing timely and high-quality care for heart attacks and strokes,” said Vik Reddy, MD, chief medical officer for NGHS. “The Get With The Guidelines program makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us ensure more people in the communities we serve experience longer, healthier lives.”

NGMC hospitals received the following awards from the American Heart Association:

  • Get With the Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement — Heart Failure (Braselton, Gainesville)
  • Get With the Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement — Stroke (Barrow, Braselton, Gainesville and Habersham)
  • Get With the Guidelines: Silver Plus Achievement — Neonatal/Infant Resuscitation (Gainesville)
  • Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus (Gainesville, Habersham)
  • Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite (Braselton)
  • Target: Stroke Honor Roll (Barrow)
  • Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy (Gainesville)
  • Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll (Braselton, Gainesville)
  • Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll (Barrow, Braselton and Gainesville)

The Get With The Guidelines quality achievement awards are earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. The program aims to increase healthy days at home and reduce hospital readmissions.

The Get With the Guidelines – Resuscitation recognition underscores NGMC’s commitment to providing the highest standard of care for some of its most vulnerable patients: newborns and infants. NGMC has implemented a range of advanced protocols and training programs aimed at ensuring rapid and effective resuscitation for newborns and infants who require it.

Hospitals on the Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll meet specific criteria that improve medication adherence, provide early follow-up care and coordination, and enhance patient education. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition. 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 heart disease or stroke.

About NGHS

Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) is a non-profit on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. Our team cares for more than 1 million people across the region through five hospitals and a variety of outpatient locations. Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has campuses in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder, Dahlonega and Demorest – with a total of more than 960 beds and more than 1,400 medical staff members representing more than 60 specialties. Learn more at www.nghs.com.

About NGMC

Since 1951, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has been on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. With hospitals located in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder, Dahlonega and Demorest, the five NGMC campuses have a total of more than 960 beds and more than 1,400 medical staff members representing more than 60 specialties. NGMC is part of Northeast Georgia Health System, a non-profit that cares for more than one million people across more than 19 counties. Learn more at nghs.com.