Desert Care Network Hospitals Feted for Stroke Care

Desert Care Network Hospitals Nationally Recognized for Commitment to Providing High-Quality Stroke Care

PALM SPRINGS — All three of Desert Care Network’s hospitals have achieved national recognition for demonstrating a commitment to stroke care for patients in the desert communities.

The awards are part of the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines program.

• Desert Regional Medical Center received the 2025 Stroke Gold Plus Quality

Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. The hospital also received recognition for Advanced Therapy treatment.

• JFK Memorial Hospital received 2025 Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
• Hi-Desert Medical Center received the 2025 Rural Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award.

The American Heart Association says the Get With the Guidelines awards are earned by hospitals that apply the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

“Desert Care Network is committed to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for heart attacks and strokes,” said Michele Finney, Group CEO for Desert Care Network. “Working with programs like the American Heart Association, make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us ensure more people in the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin experience longer, healthier lives.”

The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart  and brain health for all, recognizes the importance of health care services provided to people  living in rural areas by rural hospitals that play a vital role in the initiation of timely evidencebased care. For that reason, rural hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines- Stroke program are eligible to receive award recognition based on a unique methodology focused on early acute stroke performance metrics.

About Desert Care Network

Desert Care Network represents three hospitals and related outpatient services – Desert  Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio and Hi-Desert Medical  Center in Joshua Tree – providing life-saving care to our communities in the Southern California  desert. Our network includes three trauma centers, a stroke network anchored by the region’s  only Comprehensive Stroke Center and our region’s highest level intensive care unit for  newborns. We also are home to the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Advanced Wound Healing Center and the Center for Weight Management. Find out more at  www.DesertCareNetwork.com.