The American Heart Association presents the Get With The Guidelines® awards for proven dedication to best practices and life-saving care.

Cozad Community Hospital has received four American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards for demonstrating a strong commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke—ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times, and fewer hospital readmissions.

Heart disease and stroke remain the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association 2025 Statistical Update. Studies show that patients experience better outcomes when hospitals consistently follow standardized treatment guidelines.

Get With The Guidelines® puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care aligns with the latest evidence-based practices. As a participating hospital, Cozad Community Hospital qualified for four major awards by demonstrating a systemwide commitment to improving quality of care.

“We are incredibly proud to receive these awards in our very first year of implementing the programs,” said Jessica Fochtman, RN, STEMI Coordinator at CCHS. “Even more impressive is that we were already meeting many of the standards before we were formally measuring them. This recognition is a reflection of the dedication, skill, and heart that our entire team pours into every patient interaction day in and day out.”

Cozad Community Hospital is focused on improving care by adhering to the latest clinical guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely, appropriate care for both heart attacks and strokes. The Get With The Guidelines® program provides hospitals with actionable tools and data, making it easier for care teams to implement best practices daily—ultimately helping more patients live longer, healthier lives.

This year, CCH received the following achievement awards:

• American Heart Association Commitment to Quality

• Rural Stroke Gold

• Rural Heart Failure Silver

• Rural Coronary Artery Disease (NSTE-ACS) Silver
  
  

“These awards show Cozad Community Hospital's commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, past volunteer president of the American Heart Association and current volunteer chair of the Association’s Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, Cozad Community Hospital can help realize our shared vision of improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions, and lower mortality rates—a win for health care systems, families, and communities.”

About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-backed protocols. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines® has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.