UT Health Jacksonville receives American Heart Association’s gold award for rural stroke care
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, September 15, 2026
JACKSONVILLE – The American Heart Association recently announced UT Health Jacksonville received the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) – Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award on Sept. 1.
The GWTG – Stroke Rural Recognition quality achievement award honors rural hospitals for providing fast and effective care to stroke patients according to the most current, evidence-based guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. UT Health Jacksonville was recognized for its efforts to optimize stroke care and reduce gaps in rural health outcomes.
“We are proud that our team at UT Health Jacksonville is being recognized for the important work we do every day to improve the lives of people in Cherokee County who are affected by stroke, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and survival,” said DeLeigh Haley, CEO at UT Health Jacksonville.
People who live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than urban counterparts and have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease and face a 30% increased risk for stroke mortality, according to an American Heart Association’s presidential advisory on rural health.
Haley said UT Health Jacksonville is committed to changing that.
“As a hospital in a rural community, we face challenges such as extended interfacility transportation times and limited staffing resources,” Haley said. “We have made it a priority to ensure those challenges never compromise the standard of care our stroke patients receive.”
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Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. 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, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report.
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. The awards come in tiers in Bronze, Silver and Gold.
“Rural communities deserve high-quality stroke care,” Haley said. “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.
The guidelines the recognition is based on have touched the lives of more than 18 million patients since 2001.
“Patients and healthcare professionals in Cherokee County face unique healthcare challenges and opportunities,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee and co-author on the Association’s advisory on rural health. “UT Health Jacksonville has advanced the important work of improving care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”
For more information about UT Health Jacksonville, visit https://uthealtheasttexas.com/locations/jacksonville/.