ST. MARY’S MEDICAL CENTER AWARDED ADVANCED CERTIFICATION FOR PRIMARY STROKE CENTERS 

St. Mary’s Medical Center announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval^® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations. St. Mary’s is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system

St. Mary’s underwent a rigorous onsite review in August. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.

“St. Mary’s has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers,” said Wendi J. Roberts, RN, executive director, Certification Programs, The Joint Commission. “We commend them for becoming a leader in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community.”

“We congratulate St. Mary’s for achieving this designation,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines St. Mary’s has clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”

“St. Mary’s is pleased to receive advanced certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” said Dr. Allison Weaver, Neurologist and Stroke Medical Director at St. Mary’s. “The certification provides us with the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide as well as to continually strive to advance our care even further.”

Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (JAMA, 2000) and the “Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011).

Stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.