The American Heart Association presents Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care
(Mount Airy, NC- July 2025) – Northern Regional Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
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.
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.
“Northern Regional Hospital is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” Robin H. Hodgin, Interim President and CEO, and CNO. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in the region can experience longer, healthier lives.”
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Northern Regional Hospital for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “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.”
Northern Regional Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Eliteaward. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.
Northern Regional Hospital also 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 stroke.
Northern Regional Hospital also met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.
About Northern Regional Hospital Northern Regional Hospital (NRH) is a 133-bed hospital in Mount Airy, North Carolina, serving the northwest Piedmont region of NC and neighboring counties in southwestern Virginia. Founded in 1957, NRH is an independently operated, national award-winning healthcare facility. Northern Medical Group is the Hospital’s physician network of primary and specialty care providers, delivering a wide range of services to meet the community’s needs. NRH offers an array of outpatient services, including laboratory testing, X-ray services, CT, MRI, ultrasound, 3D mammography, and physical rehabilitation services. NRH also has a state-of-the-art Surgery Center providing a wide range of inpatient and outpatient procedures, including orthopedics, gynecology, gastroenterology, urological, eye surgeries, and other general surgeries to meet our community’s and region’s surgical needs.
About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
