HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. This quality achievement award is for the hospital team’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. Following these guidelines ultimately leads to more lives saved and reduced disability. The hospital is also an advanced primary stroke center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapidly diagnosing and treating stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Detecting and treating stroke early is the key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.