HERSHEY, Pa. — The American Heart Association has honored Penn State Health’s hospitals with a series of prestigious awards for following up-to-date, research-based guidelines in treating stroke and heart disease. These efforts have led to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.
Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association 2025 Statistical Update. Consistently following established treatment guidelines has been shown to improve outcomes and support better recovery for patients.
Penn State Health’s hospitals earned recognition through the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines programs, which support hospitals in applying the latest evidence-based treatment protocols. As an integrated academic health system, Penn State Health combines research, education and clinical expertise to improve patient care and meet national quality benchmarks.
Here is a list of the awards received by each hospital this year:
Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center
- Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Heart Failure Bronze with Target: Heart failure optimal
Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center
- Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Silver Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center
- Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
- Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center
- Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Gold with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
Three Penn State Health hospitals — Holy Spirit Medical Center, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center — also received the American Heart Association’s new Commitment to Quality Award, a distinction earned by only 158 hospitals nationwide. This award highlights consistent high performance across three or more clinical areas within the Get With The Guidelines program.
In addition, Holy Spirit Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center were honored with the 2025 Mission: Lifeline Systems of Care Regional Award, recognizing their excellence in coordinated cardiac care.
“Penn State Health is proud to once again receive recognition from the American Heart Association for providing high quality care for heart attack and stroke,” said Steven Ettinger, vice president and physician lead for heart and vascular services at Penn State Health. “Get With The Guidelines programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us achieve our mission to continually improve the health and well-being of the people of Pennsylvania, and beyond.”