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The VCU Medical Center has received the American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines -Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award.

The award recognizes the VCU Medical Center’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

"With a stroke, time lost is brain lost. The Silver Performance Achievement Award addresses this important element of time," said Dr. Warren Felton, medical director for the stroke program at the VCU Medical Center. "We have developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department."

To receive the award, the VCU Medical Center consistently complied for a year with the requirements in the Get with the Guidelines- Stroke program. These include aggressive use of medications for stroke care, cholesterol reduction and smoking cessation. VCU Medical Center will continue with self-evaluations to ensure the 85 percent compliance level needed to sustain the award.

According to the American Stroke Association, each year approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke — 610,000 are first attacks and 185,000 are recurrent. This condition accounts for one out of every 18 deaths in the United States.