Terrebonne General Earns Gold Plus Awards from The American Heart and Stroke Association

Terrebonne General Medical Center (TGMC) has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite, Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, and Mission: Lifeline- STEMI Receiving Center. TGMC was recognized with these awards because of their commitment and success ensuring that patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. Specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility were also included in the award criteria.

Through a long-standing partnership with world renowned Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS); TGMC treats over 3,200 cardiac patients annually. TGMC achieved a very high compliance with all Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Achievement Measures and composite adherence to all Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center Performance Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive years to earn the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Awards.

​“I am extremely proud of our CIS physicians and staff for their continued dedication to our cardiac patients as the AHA Gold Plus Awards is a testament to TGMC’s commitment for providing the highest quality care and offering the most advanced treatment options in our state that are proven to result in better outcomes,” said Phyllis Peoples, TGMC President and CEO.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. In Louisiana stroke is also the No. 5 cause of death and diabetes affects over 11.8 % of the population therefore being able to provide lifesaving treatment to such a high number of residence is very beneficial to our community.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication. TGMC is taking great strides to do just that for patients.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. The initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.

​To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. TGMC earned this award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period.

To qualify for Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90 % of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.” TGMC also earned this award by achieving specific measures for the diagnosis and treatment of type 2 Diabetes patients at a set level for a designated period.

For more information on cardiovascular and diabetes services at TGMC please visit tghealthsystem.com.

About Terrebonne General Medical Center

Terrebonne General Medical Center, an award winning and nationally recognized healthcare organization, has built a reputation based on quality and its initiatives to strengthen the health and wellness of the community. The medical center is a non-profit acute care facility whose mission is to provide exceptional healthcare with compassion. TGMC offers a complete range of services such as its world-class cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, a comprehensive Women’s Health Center internationally recognized with top honors as a designated Baby Friendly USA™ hospital- the gold standard in maternity care, outpatient services, surgery center, emergency care services and Mary Bird Perkins TGMC Cancer Center which is nationally accredited with commendation for excellence in cancer care by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer (CoC) – the gold standard for community-based cancer care. Additionally, TGMC provides the Healthy Lifestyles Center, which offers the Community Sports Institute, Sports Performance Training Center, Wellness for Life, Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation, Diabetes Management and Weight Management. TGMC is also designated as a Level One Hospital WellSpot Louisiana facility, and received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Joint Commission. Most recently TGMC has been chosen as a 2019 Women’s Choice Award recipient as an America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics and a 2020 Women’s Choice Award recipient as an America’s Best Hospitals Outpatient Experience. For more information on TGMC’s services please visit tghealthsystem.com.