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Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas
Health Care System, received the Get With The Guidelines Silver
Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association
(AHA). The award is presented to hospitals that follow AHA/American
College of Cardiology treatment guidelines for heart failure.
Heart disease is the leading cause of hospitalization in the U.S.
and it is estimated that 5.2 million Americans have heart failure.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able
to pump enough blood to meet the need of the rest of the body.
There is no cure for heart failure, but with early diagnosis and
aggressive treatment, symptoms can be controlled.
AHA’s Get With The Guidelines program is a quality improvement
initiative that outlines evidence-based practices to improve care
and help people better manage their disease without costly hospitalization.
The guidelines include aggressive risk reduction therapies such
as medications; alcohol, drug and thyroid management counseling;
as well as cardiac rehabilitation.
“The best way to treat heart failure is to manage the underlying cardiac
conditions such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
diabetes or obesity,” said Mark J. Zucker, MD, JD, Director of the Heart
Failure Treatment and Transplant Program at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. “There
are many things people with heart failure can do to slow progression of the
disease and improve their quality of life.”
Key to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s success in achieving
Silver Award recognition was the hospital’s participation
in The New Jersey Health Initiative Expecting Success: Excellence
in Cardiac Care. In 2007 Newark Beth Israel was among 10 New Jersey
hospitals selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to receive
a grant aimed at sharing best practices in treating African American
and Latino patients with heart failure. “As a result, all
patients are receiving comprehensive evaluation, treatment, teaching
and follow-up care that helps them manage their disease, control
symptoms and prevent additional hospitalizations,” explained
Marc Cohen, MD, Director of the Division of Cardiology at Newark
Beth Israel and Physician Director of the grant.
“Our goal is to implement heart failure management strategies that offer
optimal care to the community we serve and beyond,” added John A. Brennan,
MD, Executive Director of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s
Hospital of New Jersey.
In addition to designing a strong patient education component
that included one-on-one teaching and Spanish-language materials,
the grant is directed at raising physician awareness about AHA’s
new heart failure guidelines, increasing diversity sensitive among
caregivers and identifying areas of disparity so that ultimately,
quality and equity in cardiac care is achieved.
Date: April 27, 2009
Contact: Caren Malone
Public Relations Department
Saint Barnabas Health Care System
973-322-4017
cmalone@barnabashealth.org
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