Holy Cross Health is Only South Florida Hospital to Earn the American Heart Association’s Commitment to Quality Award

Holy Cross Health achieved high performance in stroke, heart failure and diabetes from AHA’s Get With The Guidelines® program. 

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (October 1, 2026) – For the second consecutive year, Holy Cross Health has received the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Commitment to Quality award for achieving high performance across three or more clinical areas in the Get With The Guidelines® program—Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll Gold Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. 

Holy Cross Health is one of seven hospitals in the entire state of Florida and the only hospital in South Florida to meet the criteria for the coveted Commitment to Quality distinction. The other hospitals are located in Orlando, Clermont, Jacksonville, Pensacola and Saint Cloud. According to the AHA, only 222 hospitals in the nation received this honor in 2026.

“Holy Cross Health is committed to delivering high-quality care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely, appropriate care for heart attacks and strokes,” said Pierre Monice, MBA, FACHE, President and CEO of Holy Cross Health. “Get With The Guidelines® programs help our teams put proven science into practice every day, supporting better outcomes so more people in Broward County and the surrounding South Florida area can live longer, healthier lives.” 

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the AHA’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 AHA 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, Holy Cross Health qualified for the awards by demonstrating a sustained commitment to improving the quality of neurological and cardiovascular care. Underscoring that commitment, Holy Cross Health recently opened the $41 million Holy Cross Health Center & Emergency Care — Deerfield Beach in May. In June, they also broke ground on the $57.3 million Holy Cross Health Center & Emergency Care – Fort Lauderdale at Sunrise with an anticipated opening in August 2027.

“These awards reflect Holy Cross Health 's commitment to caring for people in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH, chair of the AHA Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, Holy Cross Health 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.”

In addition to providing advanced care during hospitalization, Holy Cross Health offers comprehensive outpatient follow-up services for patients recovering from heart failure and stroke, helping to support long-term health and reduce the risk of future complications.

The Salah Foundation Heart Failure Clinic is led by Joshua Larned, MD, a fellowship-trained heart failure specialist who is board-certified in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiovascular disease and internal medicine. He is joined by Elias Collado, MD, who is board-certified in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology. Together, they provide specialized, patient-centered care for individuals living with complex heart failure conditions, utilizing the latest evidence-based therapies and treatment strategies.

The Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute offers a dedicated Stroke Prevention and Follow-Up Clinic led by Martin Lesser, MD, a board-certified vascular neurologist with nearly 50 years of clinical experience. In addition to caring for patients recovering from stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), Dr. Lesser focuses on identifying and managing stroke risk factors before an event occurs. Through advanced diagnostic imaging, biomarker testing and personalized prevention plans, he helps patients reduce their risk of future strokes and achieve better long-term neurological outcomes.

Additionally, Holy Cross Health offers in-person support groups for individuals living with heart failure or stroke, as well as their family members and caregivers. Full Heart Living, Holy Cross Health’s Heart Failure Support Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Holy Cross Family Health Center at 5601 North Dixie Hwy. in Oakland Park. STRIVE, Holy Cross Health’s Stroke Support Group, meets on the first Wednesday of each month in Education Room 2 at the Holy Cross Healthplex on Dixie Highway in Fort Lauderdale. These support groups provide a welcoming environment for education, encouragement and connection with others navigating similar health journeys. Attendance is free for patients, family members and caregivers.  

 

ABOUT HOLY CROSS HEALTH

A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, not-for-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy for more than 70 years. Holy Cross Health earned High Performing ratings for five Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Hospital rankings; received the American Heart Association’s Commitment to Quality award for achieving high performance across three or more clinical areas in the Get With The Guidelines® program for two years running in 2025 and 2026; received "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2026 Healthcare Equality Index; and received four out of five stars in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026. Additionally, Holy Cross Wound Healing and Hyperbarics program earned the 2025 Center of Distinction award by Healogics®, Physicians Outpatient Surgery Center at Holy Cross HealthPlex landed a spot on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers 2025 and Holy Cross Health Foundation is designated as a High Performer from the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. Holy Cross Health was also named among the 2024 America’s Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek and selected as a Forbes America’s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals in 2025. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a patient-centered, transformative and healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as the community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also includes the new Holy Cross Health Center & Emergency Care — Deerfield Beach, which opened in May 2026; Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility; The Holy Cross Health Family Health Center in Oakland Park; urgent care centers; and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group offices, a multi-specialty physician-employed group of 200+ physicians providing services throughout Broward County. Holy Cross Health Center & Emergency Care – Fort Lauderdale at Sunrise is currently under construction and is expected to open in August 2027. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com, and connect with them on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

 

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.