Clarinda Regional Health Center has earned national recognition from the American Heart Association, receiving three Get With The Guidelines Rural Quality Achievement Awards for its exceptional emergency care performance.
CLARINDA, IA - When someone suffers a stroke or heart attack, every second matters. This year, Clarinda Regional Health Center's commitment to delivering rapid, evidence-based emergency care has earned national recognition from the American Heart Association.
Based on its 2025 performance, Clarinda Regional Health Center has received three Get With The Guidelines® Rural Quality Achievement Awards, recognizing excellence in the treatment of stroke and cardiac emergencies:
- Get With The Guidelines® Rural Stroke Gold Award
- Get With The Guidelines® Rural Coronary Artery Disease Silver Award
- Get With The Guidelines® Rural STEMI Bronze Award
The awards recognize hospitals that consistently follow the latest evidence-based treatment guidelines, ensuring patients receive timely, high-quality care that improves outcomes during some of the most critical medical emergencies.
"These awards represent far more than plaques on a wall—they represent lives impacted and families who had the opportunity to spend more time with the people they love," said Chuck NorDyke, President and CEO of Clarinda Regional Health Center. "Every minute counts when treating a stroke or heart attack. This recognition reflects the dedication of our physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, EMS partners, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, registration, environmental services, and every team member who works together to deliver exceptional emergency care close to home."
The Get With The Guidelines® Rural Stroke Gold Award recognizes hospitals that consistently provide evidence-based stroke care, including rapid patient evaluation, timely brain imaging, coordination with emergency medical services, and prompt treatment.
The Rural Coronary Artery Disease Silver Award and Rural STEMI Bronze Award recognize excellence in caring for patients experiencing acute coronary syndromes and ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI), emphasizing rapid diagnosis, evidence-based treatment, and seamless coordination with advanced cardiac centers when specialized care is required.
Participation in the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® program requires hospitals to continually monitor performance, collect and analyze quality data, and implement ongoing improvements to patient care. Hospitals earning these distinctions demonstrate sustained adherence to nationally recognized standards designed to improve survival and recovery.
"This achievement reflects years of dedication to quality improvement, education, teamwork, and process refinement," NorDyke added. "Our community can feel confident knowing they have access to nationally recognized emergency care right here in southwest Iowa. While we
celebrate these awards today, our work continues tomorrow as we strive to raise the bar even higher."
These recognitions reinforce Clarinda Regional Health Center's purpose of Advancing Exceptional Care and its commitment to providing safe, compassionate, and high-quality healthcare close to home. They also reflect the strength of the partnerships between CRHC, local EMS agencies, and regional healthcare providers who work together every day to ensure patients receive the right care at the right time.