North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) is proud to announce that the NARMC team has been awarded the AR SAVES Site Excellence Award once again. The award was announced at the 10th anniversary AR SAVES conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on May 23.

AR SAVES (Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support) is a telemedicine program that links emergency room doctors from 54 sites across Arkansas to a stroke neurologist via a live, two-way video so that patients can receive care for strokes 24-hours a day. Led by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the AR SAVES program works to ensure that patients can receive the time-sensitive care required for positive outcomes.
“Prior to becoming an AR SAVES site, our community would not have been able to receive the only medication that can help stop an acute ischemic stroke. Our team is dedicated to providing this time sensitive care whenever we are needed. We go above and beyond in preparation and compliance,” Lauren Elliott, RN, Quality Follow-Up Nurse, said. “The recent AR SAVES conference allowed many of our staff members, including someone from EMS, to further their stroke care education. The emergency department pairs with EMS to practice and prepare in order to provide the best care to stroke patients coming to us for treatment.”

The Site Excellence Award is given to the facility that has exceeded AR SAVES contract deliverables, completed more mocks than required, attended all All-Sites meetings, met deadlines for data submission, and went above and beyond the expectations of an AR SAVES hospital.
“I am so proud of the care that our team provides to our community on a daily basis. Being able to treat strokes in a timely manner may be the difference between living a normal life or living with a life-changing debilitating physical or neurologic deficit,” Vincent Leist, President and CEO said.
Only three of 54 hospitals met the criteria for this award.
This marks the second year in a row that NARMC has received the Site of Excellence award. In 2015, NARMC was awarded AR SAVES Site of the Year.
About NARMC
NARMC is an innovative, non-profit healthcare system consisting of a central hospital in Harrison, Arkansas, and 18 clinics serving the rural communities of North Arkansas. More than 850 NARMC employees, including 32 physicians, physician’s assistants and APRNs, work together to provide a comprehensive range of healthcare services. As one of the Top 100 Rural Hospitals in the nation according to the Rural Health Policy Institute, NARMC has earned numerous 5-Star ratings from Healthgrades and consistently ranks high in patient satisfaction in Press Ganey ratings. A two-time recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Quality Achievement Award, NARMC is committed to providing the best in care, close to home.