Jefferson County Health Center in Fairfield has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines — Stroke Rural Recognition Silver award for its efforts to optimize stroke care and reduce gaps in rural health outcomes, according to a press release from JCHC.
The recognition comes as the American Heart Association notes that people living in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts, face a 40 percent higher likelihood of developing heart disease, and carry a 30 percent increased risk of stroke mortality. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report.
The award recognizes rural hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines — Stroke based on a methodology focused on early acute stroke performance metrics, including intravenous thrombolytic therapy, timely hospital inter-facility transfer, dysphagia screening, symptom timeline and deficit assessment documentation, emergency medical services communication, brain imaging, and stroke expert consultation.
Chief Nursing Officer Jacque Bookin-Nosbisch said the recognition reflects the dedication of JCHC’s team in the face of real challenges. “As a hospital in a rural community, we face challenges such as extended interfacility transportation times and limited staffing resources. We have made it a priority to ensure those challenges never compromise the standard of care our stroke patients receive,” Bookin-Nosbisch said. “Rural communities deserve high-quality stroke care. I’m proud of our team’s commitment to stroke care excellence and this achievement.”
Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee, also praised the recognition. “Patients and health care professionals in rural Southeast Iowa face unique health care challenges and opportunities,” Maddox said. “Jefferson County Health Center has advanced the important work of improving care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”
