On August 11, 2026, the American Heart Association announced recognition of nine hospitals across California’s Central Valley for their participation in quality improvement activities aimed at improving care for patients with heart disease and stroke. The announcement, issued from Fresno, emphasized the hospitals’ commitment to evidence‑based treatment delivered through the AHA’s Get With The Guidelines program.
The AHA’s Get With The Guidelines initiative supports hospitals in applying up‑to‑date, research‑based treatment guidelines in real time. According to the announcement, more than 3,000 hospitals nationwide participate in Get With The Guidelines, using the program’s tools for clinical decision support, performance feedback and quality improvement. The program addresses multiple cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions, including stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, cardiac arrest and coronary artery disease.
The release referenced the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics report, noting that heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and stroke is the No. 4 cause of death. The AHA stressed that these conditions require rapid, proven treatments to secure the best possible patient outcomes, and that adherence to guideline‑directed care is central to that effort.
The AHA cited evidence linking participation in Get With The Guidelines to improved clinical results. Participation has been associated with better patient outcomes, fewer hospital readmissions and lower mortality. The program has also been shown to help reduce disparities in care for several patient populations. Since its inception more than two decades ago, the program’s registries have accumulated millions of patient records, which the AHA says have contributed to research and the translation of real‑world data into care improvements.
The nine hospitals recognized in this announcement were listed by county as follows:
Fresno County:
Kings County:
Merced County:
Tulare County:
The release highlights these institutions for their adherence to evidence‑based approaches through participation in the AHA program.
Get With The Guidelines maintains registries that collect standardized patient data to support quality improvement and research. The AHA noted that the accumulated data over more than 20 years enable performance feedback to hospital teams and support analyses that inform clinical practice. The program’s reported impacts include measurable improvements in care processes and outcomes, reductions in readmissions and mortality, and a role in narrowing certain disparities in cardiovascular and stroke care.
The AHA’s announcement directs clinicians and the public to learn more about the quality improvement initiative at heart.org/getwiththeguidelines. Additional resources highlighted in the release included the AHA’s Quality Near Me tool and references to external information such as U.S. News & World Report coverage. The release encourages hospitals and health systems to engage with evidence‑based clinical programs to improve the timeliness and quality of care for acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.
The American Heart Association described itself in the release as an organization committed to longer, healthier lives and to advancing equitable health in all communities. The AHA noted its long history as a source of health information, its role in funding cardiovascular research and its involvement in advocacy and implementation of care improvements. The announcement included contact information for media inquiries (Amber Moak, amber.moak@heart.org) and public inquiries via the AHA customer service number provided in the release.
The AHA‑Central Valley executive director Megan Starr was quoted in the announcement saying that heart disease and stroke continue to be leading health threats in the Central Valley and that the recognized hospitals are helping ensure more people in the region receive evidence‑based care when it matters most. The release situates the recognition of the nine hospitals within the AHA’s broader mission to drive breakthroughs, implement proven solutions in science, policy and care, and to transform cardiovascular health across communities.
For readers seeking additional material or multimedia, the release referenced downloadable imagery used by the AHA and advised readers to consult the AHA multimedia usage policy for permitted use. The announcement underscores the role of local hospital participation in national quality initiatives as a pathway to improving outcomes for patients with heart disease and stroke.