Ashley Regional Medical Center is nationally recognized for its commitment to excellence in cardiovascular care

Vernal, UT (July 14, 2026) — Ashley Regional Medical Center has earned the American Heart Association’s Rural Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Gold Get With The Guidelines® Achievement Award, recognizing the hospital’s commitment to delivering evidence-based care for patients with heart disease and stroke. The award reflects Ashley Regional’s dedication to following the latest research-based treatment guidelines, helping improve patient outcomes, support recovery, reduce hospital readmissions, and save lives throughout the communities it serves. 

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. Studies show patients can experience better outcomes when care teams consistently follow evidence-based treatment guidelines. 

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest science-backed guidelines. As a participant in the Get With The Guidelines programs, Ashley Regional Medical Center qualified for the awards by demonstrating a sustained commitment to improving the quality of cardiovascular care. 

"Our commitment at Ashley Regional has always been to treat every patient as an individual — not just a diagnosis.” Said Grant Barraclough, Chief Nursing Officer at Ashley Regional Medical Center, “The Get With The Guidelines recognition reflects the dedication of our teams to follow the latest evidence-based practices while ensuring each patient receives the specialized, personalized care they deserve. That's how we help our community live longer, healthier lives." 

“This award reflects Ashley Regional's commitment to caring for people in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, Ashley Regional Medical Center can help advance our shared vision of better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for patients, families and health care systems.” 

### 

About Ashley Regional Medical Center: 

Ashley Regional Medical Center has been a part of the Uintah Basin since 1941. Ashley Regional is a Joint Commission Accredited 39-bed hospital located in the heart of Dinosaur Land in Vernal, Utah. 

We are proud to have received numerous designations and accreditations that demonstrate our dedication to providing high-quality and safe patient care. The Emergency Room at Ashley Regional treats thousands of patients a year and is staffed 24-hours a day with a dedicated emergency room physician. Ashley Regional is a designated Level IV Trauma Center, has been designated as a Stroke Receiving Facility by the Utah State Department of Health, is Chest Pain Accredited, and holds a Leapfrog 'A" grade for Fall 2024. 

Beyond emergency services, Ashley Regional offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient specialized services, including orthopedics, obstetrics, level II neonatal intensive care unit, IV therapy and chemotherapy, general surgery, respiratory therapy, sleep lab, cardiac rehabilitation, diabetes care, family medicine, ENT, neurology, medical laboratory, diagnostic and interventional radiology and more. 

In 2026 Ashley Regional has been recognized as a Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health for the tenth consecutive year as well as placed on the 2024 Fortune PINC AI 100 Top Hospitals list. The healthcare workers at Ashley Regional Medical Center are committed to providing the best possible patient care. 

About Get With The Guidelines 

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 18 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.