People who live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than urban counterparts and face a 30% increased risk for stroke mortality, according to an American Heart Association’s presidential advisory on rural health. For its efforts to optimize stroke care and reduce these gaps in rural health outcomes, Wamego Health Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Rural Recognition Bronze award.
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.
The American Heart Association recognizes the importance of healthcare services provided to people living in rural areas by rural hospitals that play a vital role in initiation of timely evidence-based care. For that reason, all rural hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines - Stroke are eligible to receive award recognition based on a unique methodology focused on early acute stroke performance metrics.
“We are proud that our team at Wamego Health Center is being recognized for the important work we do every day to improve the lives of people in Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties who are affected by stroke, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and survival,” said Brian Howells, hospital administrator. “As a hospital in a rural community, we face challenges such as extended interfacility transportation times and limited staffing resources. We have made it a priority to ensure those challenges never compromise the standard of care our stroke patients receive. Rural communities deserve high-quality stroke care. I'm proud of our team’s commitment to stroke care excellence and this achievement.”
This recognition goes to hospitals for their commitment to acute stroke care excellence, demonstrated through performance on guideline-directed measures including intravenous thrombolytic therapy, timely hospital inter-facility transfer, dysphagia screening, symptom timeline and deficit assessment documentation, emergency medical services communication, brain imaging and stroke expert consultation.
“Patients and healthcare professionals in Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties face unique healthcare challenges and opportunities,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee and co-author on the Association’s advisory on rural health. “Wamego Health Center has advanced the important work of improving care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”
