ARLINGTON, Texas — Two Texas Health hospitals have been nationally recognized for their proactive approaches to address the unique health needs of rural communities. Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville earned the American Heart Association’s 2023 Get With The Guidelines® — Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Rural Recognition Bronze award.
According to the American Heart Association, people who live in rural areas have a shorter life expectancy — by three years, on average, than their urban counterparts. Rural residents also have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease.
“Texas Health is committed to partnering with all North Texans for a lifetime of care,” said Sunita Koshy-Nesbitt, M.D., MBA. She also serves as Hospital Channel chief quality officer and is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist.
“We’re ready to address the most complex cases by offering advanced technologies and compassionate care, in ZIP codes all across our diverse North Texas service area.”
The award recognizes facilities that enhance acute cardiac care and eliminate healthcare disparities in rural areas, specifically for addressing suspected non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) — a partial blockage of the coronary artery or a blockage of a minor heart blood vessel, and acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) — a lethal type of heart attack that involves full blockage of the coronary artery.
Texas Health Cleburne earned recognition for efforts in addressing acute coronary syndrome by consistently:
- Completing an electrocardiogram to patients within 10 minutes of arrival for acute chest pain or suspected acute coronary syndrome
- Administering an anticoagulant (reduces clot formations) medication prior to transfer
- Scheduling follow-up appointments (cardiologist or primary care physician) for low-risk patients
- Performing cardiac testing for intermediate-risk patients
- Transferring high-risk patients within six hours of arrival
Texas Health Stephenville met the key criteria for its STEMI award by:
- Completing an electrocardiogram to patients within 10 minutes of arrival and early recognition of STEMI
- Giving aspirin on arrival or prior to patient transfer
- Administering clot-busting medication within 30 minutes of patient arrival
- Giving anticoagulant medication (reduces clot formations) prior to patient transfer
“Residents in rural communities deserve quality, emergency cardiac care,” said Christopher Leu, Texas Health Cleburne president. “I'm proud of our team for their commitment to heart care excellence and this achievement.”
Texas Health Stephenville President Claudia Eisenmann, MBA, FACHE, agrees.
“We want to connect with residents in Erath County, Johnson County, and everywhere in between,” she said. “Providing necessary resources close to home is important, but making sure care is given with empathy and proficiency matters above all else.”
Learn more about Texas Health’s specialized heart & vascular care services.
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About Texas Health Resources
Texas Health Resources is a faith-based, nonprofit health system that cares for more patients in North Texas than any other provider. With a service area that consists of 16 counties and more than 7 million people, the system is committed to providing quality, coordinated care through its Texas Health Physicians Group and 29 hospital locations under the banners of Texas Health Presbyterian, Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Texas Health Harris Methodist and Texas Health Huguley. Texas Health access points and services, ranging from acute-care hospitals and trauma centers to outpatient facilities and home health and preventive services, provide the full continuum of care for all stages of life. The system has more than 4,100 licensed hospital beds, 6,400 physicians with active staff privileges and more than 26,000 employees. For more information about Texas Health, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit www.TexasHealth.org.