Covenant Medical Center Achieves Gold Plus Status

LUBBOCK, Texas (News Release) -Covenant Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award.

The award recognizes CMC for its commitment in 2022 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.

CMC, the only stroke comprehensive stroke center in the region, has met AHA stroke quality metrics for the past three years.

“The Gold Plus Award and the Target Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll awarded to Covenant Medical Center by American Heart Association reflect the quality of stroke care that we are able to provide patients at our facility,” said Dr. Katie Hendley, Covenant Medical Group neurologist.

“These designations also represent excellent teamwork across our service lines, ongoing commitment to keeping our processes current and in line with the most up to date stroke care and a true compassionate approach to every patient we have the privilege of caring for.”

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the number one cause of disability. 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 evidence- and research-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.

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.

About Covenant Health:

As the home of compassionate care and health excellence, it is Covenant Health’s vision to create Health for a Better World. Covenant Health is home to the only free-standing children’s hospital in West Texas, the only certified stroke center, and the best hospital in the Panhandle Plains region as voted by U.S. News & World Report. For more than 100 years our pioneering spirit has been moving us forward, bringing world-class research and the most advanced treatments to West Texas and eastern New Mexico. Our connected health network of eight hospitals, and more than 6,000 caregivers allows us to provide our patients with the excellent care they deserve, with more locations, doctors, and specialists. To learn more about Covenant Health, please visit covenanthealth.org or our Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, page

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