Mission: Lifeline Stroke Post-Acute Care Initiative

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Creating confidences in the quality-of-care that stroke patients receive during rehabilitation and recovery

This initiative stems from program standards that were developed by an interdisciplinary committee of post-acute stroke experts, including physicians, nurses, rehabilitation specialists and other ancillary providers. The initiative provides a pathway to enhance guideline-based post-acute care for stroke ultimately improving and prolonging patients’ lives.

Implementation of the Post-Acute Stroke Program Standards provide confidence that a facility’s post-acute stroke rehabilitation program is based on standards aligned with AHA science and vetted by stroke rehabilitation experts.

As the American Heart Association (AHA) continues to grow in the post-acute care (PAC) setting, standardized treatment guidelines can help facilities continue their efforts to provide consistent, high-quality care.

Evidence-based rehabilitation and secondary prevention interventions improve post-stroke functional recovery and reduce secondary complications. However, stroke rehabilitation expertise, processes of care, and educational resources vary among sites where PAC is delivered. The American Heart Association (AHA) developed quality standards based on the AHA 2016 Guidelines for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery to address these gaps.

SNF Nurse and Patient

Patients Come First

Why is it important for patients to come first? Better communication because of tailored care to the patient, which leads to improved quality of outcomes.
Male Nurse with Patient SNF

How it Benefits Patients & Caregivers

  • Knowledge that the post-acute stroke rehabilitation facility is committed to providing services that are supported by American Heart Association science
  • Assurance that the post-acute care facility is collaborating with the American Heart Association on standardizing their stroke rehabilitation program, in alignment with expert guidance and evidence-based research
  • Confidence their post-acute stroke care team will coordinate and deliver evidence-based treatment across the continuum of care

How it Benefits Participating Facilities

  • Receive a participation stipend
  • Site-specific quality improvement support and processes improvement ideas surrounding quality standards for stroke recovery, rehabilitation, and secondary prevention.
  • Opportunity to be part of a learning collaborative, working with experts in stroke rehabilitation to build tools and share/create best practices to be disseminated nationally.
  • Opportunity to learn from similar facilities applying best practice.
  • Collaboration between your facility and local system of care facilities, e.g., Referring hospitals, local outpatient providers, etc.
Doctor with Female Patient in Pink SNF

Congratulations to the following participating sites

Audubon County Memorial Hospital, Audubon, IA

Buchanan County Health Center, Independence, IA

Burgess Health Center, Onawa, IA

Cedar Ridge Village, West Des Moines, IA

Community Memorial Hospital, Sumner, IA

Davis County Hospital, Bloomfield, IA

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, Coralville, IA

Finley Health Foundation, Dubuque, IA

Genesis Medical Center, DeWitt, DeWitt, IA

Good Samaritan Society - Le Mars, Le Mars, IA

Gundersen Palmer Hospital, West Union, IA

Guttenberg Municipal Hospital, Guttenberg, IA

Harmony Facilities- Utica Ridge, Davenport

Hearthstone, A Ministry of WesleyLife, LLC, Pella, IA

Hegg Health Center, Rock Valley, IA

Hillcrest Home, Sumner

Independence Village, Sioux City, IA

Jackson County Regional Health Center, Maquoketa

Kahl Home, Davenport, IA

Kennybrook Village, Grimes, IA

Lone Tree Health Care Center, Inc., Lone Tree, IA

Lucas County Health Center, Chariton, IA

Luther Manor Communities, Dubuque, IA

Lutheran Living Senior Campus, Muscatine, IA

Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames, IA

Meth Wick Health Center, Cedar Rapids, IA

MercyOne Centerville, Centerville, IA

MercyOne Dubuque, Dubuque, IA

Midlands Living Center LLC, Council Bluffs, IA

Myrtue Medical Center, Harlan, IA

NewAldaya Lifescapes, Cedar Falls, IA

On With Life, Inc, Ankeny, IA

Parkview Manor, Wellman, IA

Prairie Vista Village, Altoona, IA

Ramsey Village Continuing Care Retirement Community, Des Moines, IA

Ringgold County Hospital, Mount Ayr, IA

Sanford Sheldon Medical Center, Sheldon, IA

Shenandoah Medical Center, Shenandoah, IA

Simpson Home, West Liberty, IA

Solon Retirement Village, Solon, IA

St. Anthony Regional Hospital, Carroll, IA

Stonehill Communities, Dubuque, IA

UnityPoint Health - Jones Regional Medical Center, Anamosa, IA

UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's, Sioux City, IA

Van Buren County Hospital, Keosauqua, IA

West Ridge Care Center, Cedar Rapids, IA

Appleton Area Health (Appleton)

CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital (St. Cloud)

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute (St. Paul)

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Associates (Minneapolis)

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute TRP (Golden Valley)

Gunderson St. Elizabeth’s Hospitals & Clinics (Wabasha)

Hennepin County Medical Center (Minneapolis)

Madison Hospital (Madison)

Meeker Memorial Hospital (Litchfield)

MHealth Fairview Acute Rehabilitation Center (Minneapolis)

Minnesota Masonic Home (Bloomington)

North Memorial Health Care (Robbinsdale)

Pipestone County Medical Center (Pipestone)

Regions Hospital (St. Paul)

Glencoe Regional Health Services (Glencoe)

Glenfields Living with Care (Glencoe)

Sanford Medical Center (Thief River Falls)

St. Luke’s Hospital of Duluth (Duluth)

Madelia Health Hospital (Madelia)

Windom Area Health (Windom, MN)

Beartooth Billings Clinic, Billings, MT

Bitterroot Health- Daly Hospital, Hamilton, MT

Central Montana Medical Center, Lewistown, MT

Copper Ridge Health and Rehab Center, LLC, Butte, MT

Glendive Medical Center, Glendive, MT

Logan Health, Kalispell, MT

Logan Health Brendan House, Kalispell, MT

Missoula Health and Rehabilitation Center, Missoula, MT

Park Place Transitional Care and Rehabilitation, Great Falls, MT

Roundup Memorial Healthcare, Roundup, MT

Sidney Health Center, Sidney, MT

Stillwater Billings Clinic, Columbus, MT

Bryan Medical Center, Lincoln, NE

Brodstone Health Care, Superior

Butler County Health Care Center, David City

CHI Health Good Samaritan, Kearney, NE

CHI Health Immanuel, Omaha, NE

CHI Health St. Francis – Grand Island

Crete Area Medical Center, Crete, NE

Douglas County Health Center, Omaha, NE

Florence Home - Omaha

Franciscan Healthcare – West Point

Gateway Vista, Lincoln

Immanuel Lighthouse at Lakeside Village, Omaha

Immanuel Newport House, Omaha, NE

Jefferson Community Health & Life, Fairbury, NE

Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, Lincoln, NE

Methodist Fremont Health - Dunklau Gardens, Fremont, NE

Newport House - Omaha

Nye Legacy Health and Rehabilitation, Fremont, NE

Tri Valley Health System, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Inc, Cambridge, NE

Good Samaritan Society – Lakota, Lakota, ND

Good Samaritan Society: St. Vincent's, Bismarck, ND

Northwood Deaconess Health Center - Northwood

PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Fargo, Fargo, ND

Richardton Health Center, Richardton, ND

Sanford Medical Center Hillsboro, Hillsboro, ND

Trinity Homes, Minot, ND

Valley Senior Living – Grand Forks

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SNF Nurse with Man Using Walker

How To Participate

  1. Download our Fact Sheet (PDF) – which helps you determine what your facility needs to know.
  2. Read our FAQ Sheet for South Dakota (PDF)
  3. Read our FAQ sheet for IA (PDF)
  4. Read our FAQ Sheet for Minnesota (PDF)
  5. Contact us!
    Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota
    Janna Pietrzak
    Program Consultant, Health Care Quality
    [email protected]

    Iowa
    Madeline Pawloski
    Program Consultant, Health Care Quality
    [email protected] 

Additional Resources

For Professionals:

For Patients: