NorthBay Healthcare has received the Get With The Guidelines®–Resuscitation Silver Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer cardiac arrests in the hospital.

The award is given to programs that achieve at least 12 consecutive months of 85 percent or higher adherence to all “Get With The Guidelines–Resuscitation Achievement Indicators” for quality of patient care and outcomes. Guidelines include following protocols for patient safety, medical emergency team response, effective and timely resuscitation (CPR) and post-emergency care.

The Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation program was developed with the goal to save lives of those who experience cardiac arrests through consistently following the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for treatment. More than 200,000 adults and children have an in-hospital cardiac arrest each year, according to the American Heart Association.

“We’re dedicated to helping our patients have the best possible outcomes, and implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Resuscitation program. It helps our teams put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis,” said Kathy Richerson, vice president and chief nursing officer for NorthBay Healthcare.

Shortening the time to effective resuscitation and maximizing post-resuscitation care is critical to patient survival.

“We are pleased to recognize NorthBay Healthcare for their commitment in following these guidelines,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee and Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Shortening the time to effective resuscitation and maximizing post-resuscitation care is critical to patient survival.”

NorthBay Healthcare earned the Get with the Guidelines–Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award in 2013.