UT Health Jacksonville has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award, announced September 1, 2026. The recognition highlights the Jacksonville hospital’s commitment to optimizing stroke care and reducing disparities in health outcomes for people in rural areas like Cherokee County.
The American Heart Association established this award to acknowledge the vital role rural hospitals play in providing timely, evidence-based care for stroke patients. Hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke program are evaluated based on a unique methodology focused on early acute stroke performance metrics.
DeLeigh Haley, CEO of UT Health Jacksonville, stated that the recognition affirms the team’s work to improve the lives of stroke patients in Cherokee County, aiming for the best possible chance of recovery and survival. Haley acknowledged the challenges faced by rural hospitals, such as extended interfacility transportation times and limited staffing. Despite these hurdles, she emphasized that the hospital has prioritized ensuring these challenges do not compromise the standard of care for stroke patients, asserting that rural communities deserve high-quality stroke care.
The award recognizes hospitals for their dedication to acute stroke care excellence, demonstrated through performance on a range of guideline-directed measures. These measures include the application of intravenous thrombolytic therapy, timely hospital inter-facility transfer, dysphagia screening, detailed symptom timeline and deficit assessment documentation, effective emergency medical services communication, brain imaging, and expert stroke consultation. Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee, noted that UT Health Jacksonville "has advanced the important work of improving care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.” Dr. Maddox also co-authored the Association’s advisory on rural health, which underscores the unique healthcare challenges and opportunities in areas like Cherokee County.
According to an American Heart Association presidential advisory on rural health, individuals living in rural communities on average live three years fewer than their urban counterparts. This population also faces a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease and a 30% increased risk for stroke mortality.
Stroke is identified as the No. 4 cause of death and a leading cause of disability across the United States, 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 either blocked by a clot or ruptures, thereby preventing blood and oxygen from reaching brain tissue. When this critical process fails, brain cells begin to die. Early detection and rapid treatment are crucial factors in improving survival rates, minimizing long-term disability, and supporting a faster recovery for those affected.
This recognition reinforces UT Health Jacksonville's ongoing commitment to delivering specialized stroke care, addressing the specific needs of its rural patient population in Cherokee County.
