Dominican Hospital Nationally Recognized for Heart and Stroke Care

Dominican Hospital recognized by American Heart Association for delivering high-quality care for heart attack, heart failure and stroke patients.

Santa Cruz, California - July 13, 2026 — Dominican Hospital has earned three national achievement awards from the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® program, recognizing its commitment to delivering timely, high-quality care for patients experiencing heart attack, heart failure and stroke. The honors also recognize excellence in managing type 2 diabetes, an important risk factor that can affect cardiovascular outcomes and recovery.

Heart disease and stroke remain the nation’s leading causes of death and disability, making rapid, coordinated treatment critical for survival and recovery. Dominican Hospital delivers advanced cardiovascular and stroke care close to home, supported by American Heart Association quality improvement programs that help clinical teams apply the latest evidence based practices to improve outcomes and reduce complications.

"When someone experiences a heart attack or stroke, every minute counts," said Christine McSweeney, Dominican Hospital President. "These recognitions reflect the expertise and dedication of our physicians, nurses and care teams, who deliver high-quality care around the clock. We're proud to receive this award from the American Heart Association and to provide advanced heart and stroke services to our community when it matters most."

Because diabetes is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, several of the awards also reflect Dominican Hospital's integration of diabetes management into heart and stroke care.

This year, Dominican Hospital received the following American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® awards:

• Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

• Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

• Get With The Guidelines® - Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Silver Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

"These awards reflect Dominican Hospital's commitment to caring for people in their community who need cardiovascular care," said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee. "By following the American Heart Association's quality improvement protocols, Dominican Hospital is helping improve patient outcomes, reduce readmissions and lower mortality rates."

These recognitions underscore Dominican Hospital's ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality heart and stroke care to Santa Cruz County residents.

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About Dignity Health California 

Dignity Health California is a nonprofit network of over 9000 physicians, more than 35,000 employees, 29 acute care hospitals, and 200-plus care-centers, including community hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics. Dignity Health California provides award-winning care to communities in five primary markets across the state: North State, Sacramento, Central Valley, Central Coast, and Southern California.

Dignity Health is a member of CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit Catholic healthcare organizations, dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. Learn more at CommonSpirit.org.