Stony Brook University Hospital has received recognition from the American Heart Association for its performance in stroke and cardiac care. The hospital was awarded the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus achievement award for the fifteenth consecutive year, spanning 2010 to 2025. It also earned the Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for the seventh year in a row.
“These awards show Stony Brook University Hospital’s commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, past volunteer president of the American Heart Association and current volunteer chair of the Association’s Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, Stony Brook University Hospital can help realize our shared vision of improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
William Wertheim, MD, executive vice president of Stony Brook Medicine, commented on this continued acknowledgment: “This acknowledgment from the American Heart Association reflects the steadfast commitment of our medical teams to deliver outstanding care to our patients. Being recognized consistently over the years reinforces our ongoing pursuit of excellence in cardiovascular and stroke treatment, and we take pride in the meaningful difference our work makes in our patients’ health and recovery.”
Carol Gomes, chief executive officer of Stony Brook University Hospital, highlighted staff contributions: “Achieving these prestigious awards year after year is a testament to the tireless dedication of our physicians, nurses, and staff who put patients first every day. Each and every one of them plays an integral part in providing the kind of rapid and coordinated effort that has earned us these top honors.”
The hospital also received distinctions such as Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll Elite Plus—Advanced Therapy—and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll for five consecutive years (2021–2025). These recognitions reflect efforts by Stony Brook’s Cerebrovascular & Comprehensive Stroke Center to deliver up-to-date care based on evidence-based guidelines.
Patients at SBUH benefit from faster than average stroke treatment times as well as advanced therapies for large vessel occlusion strokes. Individuals with type 2 diabetes are provided specialized care when hospitalized due to heart failure or related conditions. The hospital emphasizes preventing disease progression through education initiatives, lifestyle changes, quality improvement programs, and appropriate medication management.
The Mobile Stroke Unit Program at Stony Brook serves over 40 communities across Suffolk County by working with more than 40 emergency medical service agencies. This program accelerates diagnosis times and allows timely administration of critical therapies before patients arrive at a hospital.
Nationally, more than 6.7 million adults live with heart failure—a figure projected to rise above eight million by 2030 according to American Heart Association estimates (https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_failure.htm). While there is no cure for heart failure—which means difficulty pumping blood rather than complete loss of function—proper management can allow many individuals to maintain good quality of life.
Stony Brook’s Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Center has maintained Joint Commission Advanced Certification Award status since 2011 as well as Healthgrades Five-Star Distinction for heart failure treatment (https://www.healthgrades.com/hospital-directory/new-york-ny-long-island/stony-brook-university-hospital-hgstc9e67b36050015).
In response to over 300,000 annual in-hospital cardiac arrests nationwide (https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/cardiacarrest.htm), SBUH developed a specialized Shock Team equipped with advanced mechanical support devices aimed at improving survival rates during cardiac emergencies.
The hospital follows protocols set forth by Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation program—designed by AHA—to ensure consistent application of best practices during resuscitation events.
These recognitions underscore Stony Brook University Hospital’s continued focus on aligning clinical practice with current research findings while aiming to improve outcomes for its cardiovascular patient population.