Allina Health hospitals nationally recognized for expert stroke care

Eight Allina Health hospitals earn American Heart Association awards

MINNEAPOLIS (Sept. 4, 2025) — Allina Health has received the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital. Eight Allina Health hospitals received recognitions:

Abbott Northwestern Hospital:

  • Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus
  • Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus with Advanced Therapy 
    • Recognizes hospitals that meet criteria to minimize time between patient arrival and clot-removal treatment.
  • Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
    • Helps ensure stroke patients with Type 2 diabetes who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the latest evidence-based care.

United Hospital:

  • Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus
  • Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus with Advanced Therapy
  • Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

Owatonna Hospital:

  • Get With The Guidelines – Rural Stroke Silver

Mercy Hospital – Unity Campus: 

  • Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Bronze

St. Francis Regional Medical Center:

  • Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Bronze

River Falls Area Hospital:

  • Get With The Guidelines – Rural Stroke Bronze

Faribault Medical Center: 

  • Get With The Guidelines – Rural Stroke Bronze

New Ulm Medical Center:

  • Get With The Guidelines – Rural Stroke Bronze


“At Allina Health Neuroscience Spine and Pain Institute, we are committed to providing expert stroke care throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin,” said Ganesh Asaithambi, MD, medical director, Allina Health’s Stroke and Neurology Program. “By following the latest guidelines and streamlining care, we aim to constantly improve as we deliver timely, effective stroke treatment. We are grateful for the support of the Get With The Guidelines program and their partnership to improve health outcomes.”

Stroke is the fifth cause of death in the United States according to the American Heart Association 2025 Statistical Update. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines. As a participant in the Get With The Guidelines programs, eight Allina Health hospitals qualified for the awards by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care.

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home. 

Four of the eight Allina Health hospital campuses received recognition for rural stroke care. 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 — a gap that has grown over the past two decades. 

“These awards show Allina Health’s commitment to caring for those in their community,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, past volunteer president of the American Heart Association and current volunteer chair of the Association’s Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, Allina Health can help realize our shared vision of improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for health care systems, families and communities.”

About Allina Health

Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics12 hospital campuses16 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical serviceshome care, and emergency medical services and transportation. Learn more at allinahealth.org and join us on FacebookX, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Get With The Guidelines

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.