Cartersville, Ga. (July 15, 2025) – Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. This award recognizes the hospital for its commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.
To qualify for the Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy. Meanwhile, the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll is focused on ensuring 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.
“At Piedmont Cartersville, we are committed to advancing stroke care by following the most current, evidence-based treatment guidelines and optimizing our clinical processes to deliver timely, high-quality care,” said Carter Seward, Stroke Program Coordinator at Piedmont Cartersville. “The Get with the Guidelines® initiative empowers our teams to consistently apply best practices proven to improve patient outcomes. Ultimately, our mission is to help more individuals in Bartow County and the surrounding communities achieve longer, healthier lives.”
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.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Piedmont Cartersville for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “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.”
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.