Community Memorial Healthcare Earns National Recognition for High-Quality Heart and Stroke Care

Community Memorial Healthcare has earned national recognition from the American Heart Association for its commitment to delivering high-quality, research-based care for patients experiencing heart attack and stroke. The health system received two Get With The Guidelines^® achievement awards, reflecting its ongoing efforts to improve outcomes, support recovery and reduce hospital readmissions.

Community Memorial Healthcare once again received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, which recognizes hospitals for ensuring stroke patients receive timely, appropriate treatment aligned with nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. Community Memorial Hospital – Ventura also earned the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® – Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI Bronze recognition for its commitment to providing rapid, evidence-based care for patients experiencing non-ST elevation myocardial infarction, a specific type of heart attack.

Mick Zdeblick, Community Memorial Healthcare President and CEO, said, “These recognitions underscore our commitment to not only meeting clinical standards, but to implementing research-based best practices to achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients with these life-threatening health conditions.”

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association. Studies show that patients can recover better when healthcare providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

Each year, over 1.2 million people in the United States are hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to the American Heart Association. About 70 percent of ACS cases are classified as NSTEMI, caused by a partial blockage in a coronary artery. Hospitals earn NSTEMI recognition annually by demonstrating a sustained commitment to treating patients according to the most current, evidence-based guidelines for NSTEMI care, as outlined by the American Heart Association.

“For patients experiencing an NSTEMI heart attack, following the American Heart Association’s guidelines is essential,” said Dr. Abhinav Goyal, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Coronary Artery Disease System of Care Advisory Group. “These evidence-based recommendations support high-quality, in-hospital care and appropriate cardiac rehabilitation after discharge.”

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. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program designed to improve stroke care through consistent adherence to these guidelines with the goal of minimizing long-term effects of stroke and preventing death.

In addition to the Gold Plus achievement, Community Memorial Healthcare earned two specialized honor roll distinctions: the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, national recognitions for hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines program. Hospitals receive these honors if they meet high performance criteria for the speed of treatment for stroke patients, and if they ensure that patients with Type 2 diabetes who may be at higher risk for complications receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

These awards are based on Community Memorial Healthcare data from July 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 for coronary artery disease and Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2025 for stroke.