Primary Stroke Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton Earns Honors for Eleventh Consecutive Year

For the eleventh consecutive year, the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton's Primary Stroke Center has received recognition from the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA) with the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, as well as Get With The Guidelines®-Rural Stroke Gold, which recognize quality achievement. UM Shore Medical Center at Easton is a University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) facility; UM SRH is a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System.

These achievements highlight UM SRH's commitment to providing the most effective stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence and its dedication to prioritizing quality care for stroke patients. People who live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than urban counterparts and have a 40 percent higher likelihood of developing heart disease and face a 30 percent increased risk for stroke mortality, according to an American Heart Association's presidential advisory on rural health. For its efforts to optimize stroke care and reduce gaps in rural health outcomes, UM SRH's Primary Stroke Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton received the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award.

"It is incredibly rewarding to see the commitment our entire team brings to stroke care every day," said M. Walid Kamsheh, MD, medical director of the Primary Stroke Center. "Excellent stroke care depends on every link in the chain, beginning with our EMS partners and continuing through our Emergency Department, neurology, radiology, pharmacy, laboratory and nursing teams. This recognition from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association is a reflection of that shared commitment."

The AHA recognizes the importance of health care services provided to people living in rural areas by rural hospitals that play a vital role in initiation of timely evidence-based care. For that reason, all rural hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines - Stroke are eligible to receive award recognition based on a unique methodology focused on early acute stroke performance metrics. This recognition goes to hospitals for their commitment to acute stroke care excellence, demonstrated through performance on guideline-directed measures including intravenous thrombolytic therapy, timely hospital inter-facility transfer, dysphagia screening, symptom timeline and deficit assessment documentation, emergency medical services communication, brain imaging and stroke expert consultation.

To honor team members and departments who play a key role in working with the Primary Stroke Center, members of the senior leadership team and other UM SRH stroke care leaders recently delivered the good news and treats to several departments, including the Intensive Care Unit, Radiology, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Telemetry and Emergency Medicine.

UM Shore Medical Center at Easton was designated as a Primary Stroke Center in 2007. A Primary Stroke Center designation is given by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems when standards are met to support better outcomes for stroke care. Certification standards include having a dedicated program staffed 24/7 by specially trained medical professionals who provide fast diagnostic services and optimal stroke care. Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S, according to the American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report.