PIH Health Receives Get With The Guidelines® Quality Achievement Awards
American Heart Association awards recognize PIH Health’s commitment to providing high-quality stroke care
Whittier, Calif. (July 31, 2025) – The American Heart Association has recognized PIH Health Downey Hospital, PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital, and PIH Health Whittier Hospital for their commitment to providing high-quality stroke care. PIH Health Downey Hospital and PIH Health Whittier Hospital earned Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement, while PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital earned Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Silver Plus, for their proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care.
In addition, all three hospitals 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. PIH Health Downey Hospital also received the Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award and PIH Health Whittier Hospital received the Target Stroke SM Honor Roll Elite award for meeting specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke.
“Receiving these recognitions from the American Heart Association underscores PIH Health’s commitment to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” says Krystal Valdez MSN RN ACNS-BC, system director of quality programs for PIH Health. “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.”
Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. 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.
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 PIH Health for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe MD, 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.”
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About PIH Health
PIH Health is a nonprofit, regional healthcare network that serves approximately 3 million residents in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The fully integrated network is comprised of PIH Health Downey Hospital, PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital, PIH Health Whittier Hospital, 31 outpatient medical office buildings, a multispecialty medical (physician) group, home healthcare services and hospice care, as well as heart, cancer, digestive health, orthopedics, women’s health, urgent care, and emergency services. The organization is nationally recognized for excellence in patient care and patient experience, and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has identified PIH Health as one of the nation’s top hospital systems for best practices, cutting-edge advancements, quality of care and healthcare technology. For more information, visit PIHHealth.org or follow us on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
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 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
