Providence Hospital earns national recognition for excellence in stroke care

By Michelle Ryan-Day
[email protected]

USA Health Providence Hospital has been recognized by the American Heart Association with three 2026 Get With The Guidelines achievement awards, reflecting the hospital's commitment to delivering rapid, evidence-based stroke care and continuously improving patient outcomes.

Providence Hospital earned the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus Award, Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, distinctions that recognize sustained excellence in meeting national quality standards for stroke treatment.

For Libby Turnipseed Callan, RN, DNP, manager of clinical compliance, regulatory services and stroke, the awards are the result of years of teamwork and process improvement across multiple departments.

“Standardizing both inpatient and Emergency Department (ED) stroke protocols has been instrumental in achieving Gold Plus status,” Callan said. “Over several months, we carefully reworked our inpatient stroke code process, continually refining each step to reduce delays, streamline communication, and optimize available resources.”

A focused, multidisciplinary team of nurses, pharmacists, radiology staff, emergency department personnel, neurologists and other specialists has helped streamline the stroke code process. Through regular involvement and repeated practice, team members have strengthened their expertise, enabling them to respond with increased efficiency, collaboration and accuracy during stroke emergencies.

The Gold Plus designation recognizes hospitals that demonstrate sustained adherence to evidence-based guidelines over multiple years, while the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite designation highlights success in reducing treatment times for stroke patients. The Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognizes efforts to provide the latest evidence-based care for stroke patients with Type 2 diabetes, who often face increased risk for complications.

The recognition comes through the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program, a national quality improvement initiative that helps hospitals implement the latest evidence-based practices.  

Participating hospitals collect and analyze patient care data, measure performance against national benchmarks and identify opportunities to improve outcomes. Since its launch in 2001, the program has helped improve care for more than 18 million patients nationwide.

Callan said the awards reflect both the team's commitment to excellence and the confidence patients can have in receiving stroke care close to home.

“This award serves as a meaningful validation of our team’s clinical excellence as a Primary Stroke Center, as well as the sustained hard work and dedication behind it,” she said. “Gold Plus recognition reflects not a single achievement, but consistent high performance over consecutive years, demonstrating reliability, standardization, and a commitment to quality care.  

“For our community, this recognition reinforces confidence in local stroke care. It assures patients and their families that they can trust Providence Hospital to deliver timely treatment when it matters most.”

Looking ahead, the stroke team plans to build on its success through continued process improvement and community engagement.

“Our priority is to sustain and further optimize our performance,” Callan said. “We are committed to maintaining Gold Plus metrics in the years to come while continuing to refine our processes and reduce variability in care delivery. We also aim to expand our impact in the community by strengthening collaboration with EMS partners and increasing outreach and education efforts.”

Callan said the awards represent more than strong performance metrics, but also a culture of urgency, teamwork and continuous improvement.

“The next chapter for USA Health Providence Hospital is focused on sustaining that excellence while expanding our reach and impact, ensuring every stroke patient in our community receives the highest level of care from the moment symptoms begin through recovery,” she said.