Six hospitals across the CSRA are being recognized by the American Heart Association for their commitment to improving care for patients with heart disease and stroke through Get With The Guidelines® quality improvement programs.  

Nationwide, more than 3,000 hospitals take part in these efforts, helping ensure patients receive care aligned with the most up‑to‑date, research‑based treatment guidelines. 

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics report. These conditions require swift, proven treatment to achieve the best outcomes. Through Get With The Guidelines, hospitals use real‑time data, clinical best practices and performance feedback to improve adherence to evidence‑based care for conditions such as stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, cardiac arrest and coronary artery disease. 

“Every 34 seconds, someone in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease, and heart disease and stroke continue to affect millions of people nationwide,” said Blaire Marvin, executive director of the American Heart Association in the CSRA. “Everyone deserves timely access to high-quality care close to home. Hospitals and care sites recognized through the Get With The Guidelines program are helping strengthen outcomes and bring hope to patients and families across our communities.”

Participation in Get With The Guidelines has been associated with better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality, and the program has also been shown to reduce disparities in care for several populations. Since its launch more than two decades ago, millions of patient records have contributed to registries that help drive research and real‑world improvements in cardiovascular care. 

In the CSRA, the following hospitals were recognized this year: 

• Aiken Regional Medical Center: Commitment to Quality Award, Get With the Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement (Heart Failure), Get With the Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement (Stroke), STEMI: Gold Plus Receiving, NSTEMI: Gold
• Doctors Hospital Augusta: Get With the Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement (Stroke)
• ER at Sweetwater - Extension of Aiken Regional Medical Centers: STEMI: Referring Gold
• Piedmont Augusta Hospital: Get With the Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement (Stroke)
• Piedmont McDuffie Hospital: Get With the Guidelines: Silver Achievement (Stroke)
• Wellstar MCG Health: Commitment to Quality Award, Get With the Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement (Heart Failure), Get With the Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement (Stroke), STEMI: Gold Plus Receiving, NSTEMI: Gold