September 15, 2025
One Brooklyn Health Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center and Interfaith Medical Center is nationally recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality heart failure care.
The American Heart Association presents Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus award for proven dedication to ensuring all heart failure patients have access to best practices and life-saving care.
BROOKLYN, N.Y — One Brooklyn Health Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center and Interfaith Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.
Both hospitals were also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Target: Heart Failure OptimalSM and received the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ award—further reflecting its dedication to delivering high-quality, evidence-based care to heart failure patients, including those with Type 2 diabetes.
This national recognition reflects Brookdale and Interfaith’s strong commitment to improving heart failure care through adherence to the latest clinical guidelines and quality benchmarks. The program was launched just 2½ years ago by Dr. Alexa Kahn, a fourth-year internal medicine chief resident with a passion for heart failure. Supported by an $82,000 grant from the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Kahn’s vision laid the foundation for a multidisciplinary effort that has driven measurable improvement in patient outcomes, care transitions, and key quality metrics.
About 6.7 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure (HF), a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030. Despite the name, HF doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped working – it means the heart is having a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there’s no cure for HF, patients can live a quality life by working with their health care team to create and stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring, and lifestyle changes.
The Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. The program aims to increase healthy days at home and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
“One Brooklyn Health Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center and Interfaith Medical Center is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Dr. Hal Chadow, System Chair, Cardiology, One Brooklyn Health. “This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication and collaboration of our cardiology and internal medicine teams, pharmacy, dietary services, care management, and administrative staff. Together, we’ve created a multidisciplinary success story that’s making a real difference in the lives of our patients.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of OBH leadership,” Dr. Chadow added. “With this momentum, we’re also excited to embark on a strategic alliance with the Heart Failure team at New York Presbyterian—a nationally recognized leader in advanced heart failure care. This collaboration will help us expand and elevate our program even further as we work to advance cardiovascular care across our system and beyond.”
Each year, program participants qualify for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for HF patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their HF at home.
“We are pleased to recognize the leaders and teams at OBH Brookdale and Interfaith for a strong commitment to caring for people with heart failure,” said Sabra Lewsey, M.D., MPH, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Heart Failure System of Care Advisory Group. “Hospitals that participate in Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure often see better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for families, communities and health care systems.”
One Brooklyn Health Brookdale and Interfaith are also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Target: Heart Failure SM Optimal. Hospitals receiving this award meet specific criteria that improve medication adherence, provide early follow-up care and coordination, and enhance patient education. Receiving the Optimal designation means a hospital has performed 50% or better for defect-free care. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition.
One Brooklyn Health Brookdale and Interfaith additionally received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke.
About One Brooklyn Health
One Brooklyn Health (OBH)—comprising Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, Interfaith Medical Center, and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center—is nationally recognized for high-quality care in heart failure, stroke, and diabetes, among other among other acute care. The system includes 12 ambulatory care centers, two nursing homes, an assisted and independent living facility, a transitional housing program, an urgent care center, and a retail pharmacy. OBH’s mission is to expand access to quality medical care for Brooklyn’s most vulnerable communities and beyond. For more information, please visit their website at onebrooklynhealth.org.
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 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
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