Via Christi St. Francis Nationally Recognized for High-Quality Stroke Care

The Via Christi Comprehensive Stroke Center at St. Francis has received three American Heart Association achievement awards for demonstrating a commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, helping save lives, support recovery and reduce hospital readmissions.

Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death in the United States according to the American Heart Association's  2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. Studies show patients can experience better outcomes when care teams consistently follow evidence-based treatment guidelines.

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 science-backed guidelines. As a participant in the Get With The Guidelines programs, the Via Christi Comprehensive Stroke Center at St. Francis qualified for the awards by demonstrating a sustained commitment to improving the quality of stroke care.

"Our team is committed to delivering high-quality care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely, appropriate care for strokes," said James Walker, MD, Medical Director of the Via Christi Comprehensive Stroke Center at St. Francis. "Get With The Guidelines programs help our teams put proven science into practice every day, supporting better outcomes so more people in central and western Kansas can live longer, healthier lives."

This year the Via Christi Comprehensive Stroke Center at St. Francis received these achievement awards:

• Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus award for meeting specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient's arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.
• Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy awards for by 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.
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ award for ensuring 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.

"These awards reflect the Via Christi Comprehensive Stroke Center at St. Francis' commitment to caring for people in their community who need cardiovascular care," said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee. "By following the American Heart Association's quality improvement protocols, the Via Christi Comprehensive Stroke Center at St. Francis can help advance our shared vision of better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates - a win for patients, families and health care systems."