Bayhealth Earns Two National Heart Honors

Bayhealth has earned two national honors recognizing its commitment to delivering safe, high-quality heart and vascular care to Delaware. Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus received the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Bronze recognition for proven dedication to best practices and life-saving heart care. In addition, Bayhealth Heart & Vascular Institute earned the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 2026 HeartCARE Center™ designation.

The AHA recognition is based on Get With The Guidelines data from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025. It recognizes Kent Campus for using evidence-based guidelines to improve care for patients experiencing an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) – the most severe type of heart attack.

“For patients experiencing a STEMI, rapid treatment and coordinated care are critical,” said Roberto Scaffidi, MD, interventional cardiologist and medical director of Interventional Laboratories. “This recognition shows that our teams are following proven practices designed to shorten the time to treatment and give patients the best possible chance for recovery.”

“This achievement reflects the preparation and teamwork that happen every day across our interventional laboratories,” said Jacqueline Thomas, senior manager of Interventional Laboratories. “Our clinicians and team members work closely with emergency medical services and departments throughout the hospital to make sure each patient receives timely, safe and compassionate care.”

Get With The Guidelines helps hospitals align patient care with the latest research-based recommendations. The 2026 Bronze recognition reflects one calendar quarter of performance and required Kent Campus to meet AHA achievement and patient-volume criteria for STEMI receiving centers.

Bayhealth Heart & Vascular Institute’s 2026 HeartCARE Center designation marks the fifth consecutive year Bayhealth has earned the ACC’s national distinction of excellence. The designation is awarded annually to hospitals that demonstrate a comprehensive, sustainable commitment to cardiovascular quality improvement, patient safety and successful outcomes.

“Together, these honors show the strength of Bayhealth’s heart and vascular program and our continued focus on quality improvement,” said Dr. Scaffidi.

To earn the HeartCARE Center designation, hospitals must meet rigorous ACC requirements that include cardiovascular accreditations, participation in national quality registries and continued involvement in quality-improvement initiatives. Bayhealth offers a full range of heart and vascular services, including emergency heart attack care, open-heart surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, stroke prevention for atrial fibrillation, vascular surgery, advanced imaging and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.

For more information about Bayhealth Heart & Vascular Institute and its comprehensive services, visit Bayhealth.org/HVI.