Cumberland Medical Center Earns National Recognition for High-Quality Stroke Care

 July 2025 – Cumberland Medical Center recently received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

Tennessee is part of the “Stroke Belt” in the country’s Southeastern region. The state has one of the highest stroke-related death rates in the nation. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death, both in Tennessee and the United States.

Strokes occur when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain becomes blocked by a clot or bursts. This prevents the brain from receiving the blood and oxygen it needs and causes brain cells to die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

“Our team is committed to caring for patients as if they were our own friend or family member,” said Randy Davis, president and chief administrative officer of Cumberland Medical Center. “The Stroke Gold Plus designation shows our team’s commitment to continually strive for higher degrees of achievement. I’m proud of this team’s accomplishment and equally excited to live in a community with a hospital committed to excellence.”

About Get With The Guidelines

Get With The Guidelines combines expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. The program helps align patient care with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. These guidelines can minimize long-term effects of stroke and even prevent death. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving care by promoting consistent adherence to the guidelines. Hospitals qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Cumberland Medical Center for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”

Cumberland Medical Center holds Advanced Primary Stroke Center designation from The Joint Commission. The hospital is a member of Covenant Health’s stroke network.

To learn more about Cumberland’s stroke services, visit our stroke care webpage.

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About Cumberland Medical Center

Located in Crossville, Tennessee, Cumberland Medical Center is an acute-care hospital bringing top-tier healthcare to our Cumberland Plateau community. We are proud to support our friends and neighbors with state-of-the-art technology, private patient rooms and specialized services not usually found in rural settings. A member of Covenant Health, the top-performing healthcare network in our region, Cumberland is dedicated to improving quality of life through better health. Learn more at CovenantHealth.com/Cumberland.

About Get With The Guidelines^®

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