St. Mary’s awarded re-certification as a primary stroke center

Published 10:04 am Friday, March 11, 2011

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — After undergoing an on-site evaluation and demonstrating compliance with nationally developed standards for stroke care, St. Mary’s Medical Center has been awarded The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for certification as a Primary Stroke Center. St. Mary’s has maintained this certification since 2004.

“We are very proud of this distinction from The Joint Commission,” said Christy Franklin, RN, MS, director of St. Mary’s Regional Neuroscience Center. “As the fourth certification of our stroke center, first in West Virginia and the tri-state region, St. Mary’s has shown long-standing commitment to providing excellence in stroke care. We are pleased to have The Joint Commission recognize and validate our continuing commitment to providing the best possible care to our patients and our community.”

Each year about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.

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“In stroke care time is brain,” says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease- Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. “By achieving certification as a Primary Stroke Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center has proven that it has the ability to provide effective, timely care to stroke victims and can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.”

The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements and guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program—the nation’s first—in 2003.