Norton Brownsboro received gold designation. Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Hospital and Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital received silver designations.

Published: August 12, 2020 | Updated: October 8, 2020

Norton Healthcare’s four adult-service hospitals have been nationally recognized for their advanced stroke care.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association awarded Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, Norton Hospital and Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital with its Get with the Guidelines – Stroke designation. Norton Brownsboro received gold designation, while the others received silver designations.

“Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in Kentucky, and we want to ensure our patients get the best and fastest care possible,” said David Sun, M.D., Ph.D., executive medical director of Norton Neuroscience Institute. “Our team has worked incredibly hard not only to be at the forefront of stroke treatment, but also to educate the community about recognizing and preventing future strokes.”

The hospitals earned the awards by meeting specific quality measures for diagnosing and treating stroke patients. These measures use the latest stroke guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability. Before leaving the hospital, patients also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled and receive options for transitional care.

Norton Audubon, Norton Brownsboro and Norton Hospital received additional recognition for their quick treatment of stroke patients. The hospitals met goals developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with a clot-destroyer called tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA. This medication literally can stop a stroke as it’s happening by breaking up the blockage and restoring blood flow to the brain.

“Time saved is brain saved,” Dr. Sun said. “We want to treat an active stroke as quickly as possible so the patient has the best possible outcome.”

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability among U.S. adults. On average, someone in the U.S. experiences a stroke every 40 seconds, and nearly 795,000 people have a new or recurrent stroke each year.

In addition to the stroke awards, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association also recognized all four hospitals for their treatment of patients with Type 2 diabetes. Individuals with Type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

Learn how to identify signs of a stroke.