UNC Health Lenoir in Kinston has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, which means reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home. 

About 6 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure (HF), a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030. Despite the name, HF doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped working – it means the heart is having a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there’s no cure for HF, patients can live a quality life by working with their healthcare team to create and stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring, and lifestyle changes.

For our commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability, UNC Health Lenoir also received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award. 

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death, and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. 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.

UNC Health Lenoir also received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Resuscitation Silver achievement award for its commitment to treating in-hospital cardiac arrest, ultimately helping to improve survival rates. Each year, more than 300,000 adults and children experience an in-hospital cardiac arrest. Survival from cardiac arrest largely depends on timely medical emergency team response and effective CPR. 

Additionally, for the efforts to optimize stroke care and eliminate rural health care outcome disparities, UNC Health Lenoir has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Rural Recognition Silver award. People who live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts, have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease, and face a 30% increased risk for stroke mortality — a gap that has grown over the past two decades. UNC Health Lenoir is committed to changing that.

“Our program mission is to provide exceptional care to the community we serve,” states Dawn Becker, RN, BSN, Stroke and Heart Failure Coordinator at UNC Health Lenoir, “participation in the Get With The Guidelines quality initiative helps us to monitor the quality of care provided based on clinical practice guidelines. Receipt of this award confirms for our hospital and our patients that we provide stroke and heart failure care at a high level without exception. I am extremely grateful and proud of all the efforts continually made by our team to reach this level of excellence.”

Each year, UNC Health Lenoir qualifies for these awards by demonstrating its commitment to providing quality care for stroke patients, treating in-hospital cardiac arrest, and improving outcomes for patients with heart failure. In addition to following treatment guidelines, UNC Health Lenoir educates patients on how to manage their health and recovery at home.

About UNC Health Lenoir

UNC Health Lenoir, licensed for 199 beds, is a nonprofit hospital serving the Lenoir County area with acute, outpatient, and community health services. The hospital has a 118-year history of providing excellent care to the community. In addition to general medical, surgical, obstetrical, and gynecological care, UNC Lenoir offers specialized services, including cardiology, pulmonology, oncology, radiology, and urology. Surgical specialties include general surgery, vascular, orthopedic, and bariatrics. UNC Health Lenoir affiliated with the UNC Health Care System in 2017. For more information or to find a physician, visit unclenoir.org.