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Mayo Clinic Health System Southeast Minnesota has been awarded the Continuous Impact Award from the Minnesota Department of Health for work to create long-term improvements in the quality of stroke care.

The award aims to recognize and showcase successful quality improvement initiatives throughout the state of Minnesota’s hospital-based stroke programs, according to a press release.

The health department award includes all Mayo Clinic Health System southeast Minnesota acute stroke ready facilities in Albert Lea, Austin, Cannon Falls, Lake City and Red Wing.

“This is a great recognition our regional stroke teams are receiving due to their excellent work on our regional stroke program,” said emergency medicine Dr. Derick Jones at Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin and Albert Lea, who is also the southeast Minnesota stroke medical director. “Mayo Clinic Health System continually strives for ways to improve quality of care for patients.”

The Minnesota Department of Health award notes that Mayo Clinic Health System staff developed a stroke code process that could be used each time a patient with symptoms of stroke came into one of the regional facilities. Doing this allows Mayo Clinic Health System providers to travel between hospitals with increased standardized processes. The end result initiated immediate results in better care for the patients, the release stated.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester also received an Operational Excellence Award.