Stroke Center
The St. Joseph Stroke Center is a comprehensive integrated program for
acute stroke patients. The program includes prevention and education,
diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
Our team of nurses and physicians are specially trained to provide quick
diagnosis and treatment for individuals suffering from ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.
Stroke Center Awarded Certification from Joint Commission
The Stroke Center at St. Joseph has earned the Gold Seal of Approval from
the Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center. The certification recognizes
that St. Joseph's Stroke Center follows national standards and guidelines
published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association
to significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients. As a Certified
Primary Stroke Center, St. Joseph has demonstrated excellence in consistently
meeting National Inpatient Hospital Quality Measures.
St. Joseph
Medical Center
Earned American Stroke Association Award
St. Joseph has earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s
Get With The Guidelines®- Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award.
To receive this award, St. Joseph consistently achieved at least 12 consecutive
months of 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke
Quality Achievement indicators and achieved at least 75 percent or higher
compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures
during that same time period. The award recognizes St. Joseph’s
commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care.
St. Joseph also received the association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll
Award for meeting stroke quality measures that reduce the time between
hospital arrival and treatment with the clot-buster drug tPA, the only
drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic
stroke. People who suffer a stroke who receive the drug within three hours
of onset of symptoms may recover quicker and are less likely to suffer
severe disability.
Stroke Center Components
Following guidelines established by the American Stroke Association, St.
Joseph Stroke Center features:
- A multidisciplinary acute stroke team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists,
emergency physicians and nurses under the direction of a Stroke Center
coordinator and board-certified physician specializing in care for the
acute stroke patient
- An inpatient unit dedicated to the treatment and monitoring of stroke patients
during their initial acute-care phase, rehabilitation and discharge.
- CT scan done immediately
- Staff with special training and expertise in the continuum of care for
stroke patients.
- Coordination with emergency medical services in the community to ensure
timely access to acute stroke care
- An established set of evidence-based guidelines to ensure a consistent
approach to diagnosis, treatment and continued care of stroke patients
- Detailed tracking of outcomes to identify quality improvement opportunities
- A stroke team that can be at the patient's bedside within five minutes
of notification
- Education programs for the community on stroke prevention, diagnosis and
treatment.
For More Information
If you have questions about the Stroke Center, call
816-943-2400.