Audubon County Memorial Hospital earns AHA Silver award for rural stroke care
Audubon County Memorial Hospital and Clinics (ACMH) in Audubon, Iowa, has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Rural Recognition Silver award, according to a July 20, 2026 announcement. The award recognizes the hospital’s efforts to address the unique health needs of rural communities and optimize stroke care.
The recognition is based on performance on guideline-directed measures, including intravenous thrombolytic therapy, timely inter-facility transfer, dysphagia screening, symptom documentation, EMS communication, brain imaging, and stroke expert consultation. All rural hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines - Stroke are eligible for the award under a methodology focused on early acute stroke performance metrics.
Cassey Neumann, RN, Chief Nursing Officer of ACMH, said the hospital faces challenges such as extended interfacility transportation times and limited staffing resources, but has prioritized ensuring those challenges do not compromise stroke care. Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the AHA Quality Oversight Committee, said ACMH has advanced the work of improving care for all Americans regardless of where they live.