St. Vincent’s Southside and Clay County have earned Gold Plus recognition in heart failure care through the American Heart Association’s “Get With the Guidelines” program. The hospitals earned the highest possible level in the quality achievement award for their commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure. This is the fifth consecutive year that Southside has been honored and the third consecutive year that Clay County has been honored.
The Get With The Guidelines — Heart Failure quality achievement award is 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. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research and evidence-based guidelines.
“By implementing the most updated guidelines, the St. Vincent’s cardiologists and care teams are best equipped to handle complex cases and improve patient outcomes and recoveries,” said St. Vincent’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mario Pulido. “Our aim is to provide our patients with positive health outcomes so that they can get back to doing the activities they love and enjoy.”
About 6 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure, a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030. While there’s no cure, patients can live a quality life by working with their health care team to create and stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and lifestyle changes.
“We are pleased to recognize the leaders and teams at St. Vincent’s Southside and Clay County for a strong commitment to caring for people with heart failure,” said Sabra Lewsey, M.D., chair of the American Heart Association Heart Failure System of Care Advisory Group and assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Hospitals that participate in Get With The Guidelines — Heart Failure often see better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for families, communities and health care systems.”
St. Vincent’s Southside and Clay County are also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll. Hospitals on the Honor Roll meet specific criteria that improve medication adherence, provide early follow-up care and coordination and enhance patient education. The hospitals additionally received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. 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.
St. Vincent’s Southside and Clay County were also recently named High Performing Hospitals by the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals List for 2024-2025. Southside received a high performing rating for its heart attack care, while Clay County received a high performing rating for congestive heart failure care.
St. Vincent’s was also recently named a top 15 health system in the country for 2024 by Fortune and PINC AI.
