Penn State Health earns top heart and stroke awards

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• Penn State Health hospitals honored by American Heart Association

• Awards recognize excellence in heart disease and stroke treatment

• Three hospitals earn new national Commitment to Quality Award

Penn State Health hospitals earned top American Heart Association awards for excellence in heart disease and stroke care, improving patient outcomes.

The American Heart Association honored Penn State Health’s hospitals for following up-to-date, research-based guidelines in treating heart disease and stroke, reportedly the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively.

Penn State Health’s hospitals earned recognition through the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines programs. The programs support hospitals in applying the latest evidence-based treatment protocols.

“Penn State Health is proud to once again receive recognition from the American Heart Association for providing high quality care for heart attack and stroke,” Dr. Steven Ettinger, vice president and physician lead for heart and vascular services at Penn State Health, said in a statement. “Get With The Guidelines programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us achieve our mission to continually improve the health and well-being of the people of Pennsylvania, and beyond.”

The following is a list of awards received by each hospital this year:

Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center

• Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Heart Failure Bronze with Target: Heart failure optimal

Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center

• Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Silver Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center

• Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

• Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center

• Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Gold with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

Penn State Health hospitals Holy Spirit Medical Center, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center received the American Heart Association’s new Commitment to Quality, a distinction earned by only 158 hospitals nationwide. This award highlights consistent high performance across three or more clinical areas within the Get With The Guidelines programs.

Holy Spirit Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center were honored with the 2025 Mission: Lifeline Systems of Care Regional Award, recognizing their excellence in coordinated cardiac care.

Penn State Health is an integrated academic health system serving patients and communities across 15 counties in Central Pennsylvania. It employs more than 20,900 people systemwide.