"The American Heart Association (AHA) has awarded Cheboygan Memorial Hospital (CMH) with the Bronze Performance Achievement Award based on compliance with Get With The Guidelines (GWTG). CMH is one of only four hospitals in Michigan receiving such an award for 2008. The other three hospitals are University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and St. Mary's Hospital in Livonia. All four hospitals, including CMH, will be mentioned in the US News and World Reports edition of the Best Hospitals in the Country, which is due for release in July, 2008.

"Being honored as giving excellent patient care is the best recognition a hospital can get," said Barbara Cliff, CMH President and CEO. "What really is rewarding is seeing the lives we're impacting. Congratulations to our physicians, nurses and quality improvement professionals for turning treatment guidelines into lifelines."

GWTG is an evidence-based program for in-hospital quality improvement. It puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals, helping to ensure that the care they provide to coronary artery disease, stroke and heart failure patients is aligned with the latest scientific guidelines. The goal of GWTG is simply to help the hospital save more lives by optimizing care for coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke patients through improved outcomes and a reduction in recurring events.