FRANKLIN—Southampton Memorial Hospital has been recognized for treating heart failure patients with care outlined by the American Heart Association.

The Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure Bronze Quality Achievement Award signifies that the hospital has treated heart failure patients for at least 90 days with 85 percent compliance to standard levels of care outlined by the Heart Association/American College of Cardiology.

The initiative provides hospital staff with tools that follow proven evidence-based procedures in caring for heart failure patients to prevent future hospitalizations.

Heart failure patients are started on aggressive risk-reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, diuretics and anticoagulants in the hospital. They also receive alcohol/drug use and thyroid management counseling as well as referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before being discharged.

“Southampton Memorial Hospital is dedicated to making our care for heart failure patients among the best in the country,” said Chief Nursing Officer Laurie Ross. “Implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure program will help us accomplish this by making it easier for our professionals to improve the long-term outcome for these patients.”