Stroke Center

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.