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University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics will be honored next month by the American Stroke Association for its high level of care for stroke victims.

UW will receive a Silver Performance Achievement Award, part of the ASA?s ?Get with the Guidelines? program, according to a statement released Wednesday.

Lisa Brunette, director of media relations for UW Health, said the goal of the program is to ?get everybody on the same page? as far as stroke care goes. She said UW Hospital and Clinics has a ?comprehensive stroke program,? has been involved in the program for at least a year and surpasses the requirements needed to be eligible for the award.

?It?s pretty rare,? Brunette said. ?Relatively few hospitals have one because it requires a huge investment of time and resources.?

The hospital is always equipped to provide brain scan images, maintains a neurology intensive care unit and has neurologists available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, Brunette said, one of the most important things UW Hospital offers is smoking cessation programs for stroke victims.

The smoking cessation programs are important for preventing repeat strokes. Smoking increases the likelihood of a victim having another stroke.

According to the statement, 200,000 of the 700,000 strokes suffered annually are second-time attacks.

Brunette said there was no cash prize for winning the award, adding she did not know what UW Hospital and Clinics will receive in February.

?I don?t know; we might get some kind of plaque or something,? she said.

The ?Get with the Guidelines? program is a quality improvement program for hospitals started by the American Heart Association. In addition to the stroke program, the AHA also has programs for heart disease and coronary artery disease.

The program was presented with the Innovation in Prevention Award by then Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson in 2004.