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Trinity Health is excited to announce it has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® – Stroke Rural Recognition Gold Plus award. Additionally, Trinity Health also received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite achievement award.

Get With The Guidelines brings the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association into hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program designed to improve stroke care through consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize long-term effects of stroke and help prevent death.

“This national recognition reflects the dedication our care teams bring to every stroke patient who comes through our doors,” said Ben Anderson, Chief Nursing Officer/VP of Patient Care at Trinity Health. “Every second is crucial when it comes to stroke care, and this achievement is a testament to the protocols, training and collaborative teamwork that allow Trinity Health to act quickly and deliver the best possible outcomes for the region we serve.”

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. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying the brain is blocked by a clot or ruptures, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching brain tissue. When this happens, brain cells begin to die. Early detection and rapid treatment are critical to improving survival, minimizing disability and supporting faster recovery.

People who live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts and have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease and face a 30% increased risk of stroke mortality, according to an American Heart Association’s presidential advisory on rural health. Trinity Health is committed to changing that.

The American Heart Association recognizes the importance of healthcare services provided to people living in rural areas by rural hospitals, which play a vital role in initiating 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.

“Patients and healthcare professionals in North Dakota face unique healthcare challenges and opportunities,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee and co-author on the Association’s advisory on rural health. “Trinity Health has advanced the important work of improving care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”

This recognition reflects Trinity Health’s unwavering dedication to ensuring that stroke patients receive timely, evidence-based care aligned with nationally recognized clinical guidelines, ultimately saving lives and preserving function and quality of life for stroke victims.