UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL ONCE AGAIN EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR EFFORTS TO PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY HEART FAILURE TREATMENT

The American Heart Association Presents Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus Award for Proven Dedication to Best Practices and Life-saving Care for Heart Failure Patients

NEWARK, NJ — University Hospital (UH), one of New Jersey’s original academic medical centers and the only NJ-certified Level 1 Trauma Center in Northern New Jersey as well as the principal affiliate of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, has again received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure Gold Plus award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home. 

 About 6 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure, a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030.1 Despite the moniker, heart failure does not mean that the heart has stopped working – it means the heart is having a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there’s no cure for heart failure, patients can live a quality life by working with their healthcare team to create and follow a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and lifestyle changes. 

 The Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines outlined by the American Heart Association. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. The program aims to increase healthy days at home and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.  

 “It’s a distinct honor to be recognized once again by the American Heart Association for our work in maximizing survival and recovery after cardiovascular events.” Said Ed Jimenez, President and CEO of University Hospital, “This esteemed recognition validates the incredible work of the physician faculty of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the staff at University Hospital who collaborate daily to provide outstanding cardiovascular care. Newark residents deserve a premium level of care, and the state of New Jersey demands it from our hospital. I am proud to observe our talented faculty and staff deliver it each and every day.” 

 UH was also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Target: Heart FailureSM Honor Roll and the Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold with Target: Heart Attack Honor Roll. Hospitals on the Target: Heart FailureSM Honor Roll meet specific criteria related to medication adherence, early follow-up care and coordination, and patient education. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition. The Mission: Lifeline® EMS celebrates medical services programs that offer rapid and research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attack and stroke, ultimately saving lives. The program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment and facilitates coordination between the individual prehospital providers and healthcare systems. 

 The Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke.   

 “We are pleased to recognize the leaders and teams at University Hospital for a strong commitment to caring for people with heart failure,” said Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., MSc, MACC, FAHA, MACP, FHFSA, national chairperson of the American Heart Association Heart Failure systems of care advisory group and chief, division of cardiology at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. “Hospitals that participate in Get With The Guidelines quality improvement programs often see better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.” 

# # # 

About University Hospital 

University Hospital is part of one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers and is the Level 1 Trauma Center for Northern New Jersey. Located at University Heights in Newark, University Hospital is a principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and a regional resource for advanced services across many medical specialties. For more information about University Hospital, please visit www.uhnj.org.  

About Get With The Guidelines 

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org. 

# # #