UHS Wilson Medical Center, home to the Greater Binghamton region’s comprehensive stroke program, has earned the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for its commitment to providing timely, evidence-based stroke care. Receiving this recognition for the third consecutive year reflects UHS' success in following nationally recognized treatment guidelines that help save lives and reduce disability.
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 stroke.
UHS was additionally honored with the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite recognition, which acknowledges hospitals that meet rigorous benchmarks for rapidly treating eligible stroke patients with thrombolytic therapy. Faster treatment can help reduce disability and improve outcomes for patients experiencing an acute ischemic stroke.
Get With The Guidelines brings the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association into hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program designed to improve stroke care through consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize long-term effects of stroke and help prevent death.
“UHS is committed to providing the highest quality stroke care by following the latest evidence-based treatment guidelines,” E. Jesus Duffis, MD, Medical Director, UHS Comprehensive Stroke Program & Neuro Interventional Surgery. “Earning this distinction for the third consecutive year underscores our team’s consistent delivery of high-quality, evidence-based stroke care. Combined with UHS Wilson Medical Center’s role as the region’s only provider of advanced stroke treatment, this achievement reinforces our commitment to ensuring local patients have access to the highest level of neurologic care close to home.”
Get with the Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award
- To earn the Gold Plus award, UHS demonstrated consistent adherence to the program's treatment guidelines for 24 consecutive months. Participating hospitals also help educate patients about managing their health and recovery after discharge.
Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite
- To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific benchmarks that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival and treatment with thrombolytic therapy, helping improve outcomes for stroke patients.
Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Hospitals receiving this recognition demonstrate that stroke patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the latest evidence-based care, helping reduce the risk of complications and improve outcomes.
Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying the brain is blocked by a clot or ruptures, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching brain tissue. When this happens, brain cells begin to die. Early detection and rapid treatment are critical to improving survival, minimizing disability and supporting faster recovery.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States experiences a stroke. Rapid treatment is critical, which is why UHS Wilson Medical Center maintains a 24/7 team of stroke neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro interventional surgeons, nurses and other specialists ready to provide advanced stroke care.
Learn more about the UHS Comprehensive Stroke Center by clicking here.