GLENDIVE, MT, May 25, 2023 - Glendive Medical Center is participating in a new initiative by the American Heart Association®, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, to eliminate rural health disparities. The Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator provides participating hospitals with no-cost access to Get With The Guidelines® quality programs and access to clinical experts, quality consultants and other resources to address the unique health needs of patients in rural areas.
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., Additionally, rural communities experience unique challenges related to scarcity of resources, such as health care professional staffing and support. Glendive Medical Center is committed to changing that. Providing evidence-based care is proven to decrease morbidity and mortality by ensuring patients receive appropriate and timely treatment.
“Glendive Medical Center is proud to be taking on this important work to help ensure the highest quality care for people in eastern Montana, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and survival,” said Leticia Huber, Director of Nursing, “Meeting the unique needs of people in rural areas is critical to improving health for all.”
Glendive Medical Center will work to improve outcomes by working with the American Heart Association as the initiative convenes rural clinical experts and leaders to develop clinical decision pathways and publish rural quality and outcomes research. Glendive Medical Center and other participating sites will have access to professional education, an online rural community network that encourages peer-to-peer connection and resources to support model practice sharing and collaborative innovation.
“Patients and health care professionals in eastern Montana face unique health care challenges and opportunities,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, volunteer expert for the American Heart Association, co-author on “Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association” and co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. “Glendive Medical Center will help shape this important work and improve care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”
