News - St. Joseph's/Candler's Stroke Program: Fifth In Nation To Receive Certification

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2/10/04 - St. Joseph's/Candler's Stroke Program: Fifth In Nation To Receive Certification

SAVANNAH, GA - The Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has selected St. Joseph's/Candler's stroke program as one of five stroke programs in the United States to achieve the first certification of distinction for a primary stroke center. About 160 healthcare facilities have applied for the distinction nationwide.

As 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke each year, there is a growing need for highly standardized, efficient stroke care programs. The Joint Commission's primary stroke center certification singles out stroke programs that deliver fast, integrated clinical care to stroke victims using written protocols, education programs and outcome-focused quality improvement efforts.

"The Joint Commission selected St. Joseph's/Candler based on exemplary performance as well as St. Joseph's/Candler's compliance with national standards, effective utilization of primary stroke center and clinical practice guidelines," said Dr. Frank Lafranchise, MD, Medical Director Of the Primary Stroke Center, Acute Rehabilitation and Institute for Neurosciences at St. Joseph's/Candler.

St. Joseph's/Candler's certified primary stroke center leads the community in stroke assessment, treatment and patient education. Team members know how to quickly restore function to a stroke patient, educate them on how to prevent recurrent strokes and involve the family in the patient's recovery. At St. Joseph's/Candler, every nurse in the Emergency Department is trained to perform rapid assessment and treatment for stroke within 10 minutes. Neurosurgery is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Following a stroke, St. Joseph's/Candler patients can access a top-level stroke outpatient physical therapy program and clinic which includes patient and family support groups.

"While stroke takes a life every three seconds, there are about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive in the U.S. today, due in part to integrated stroke programs such as the one at St. Joseph's/Candler," said Paul. P. Hinchey, President & CEO of St. Joseph's/Candler.

A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a blocked or exploding blood vessel. The time span between the onset of stroke and treatment of stroke is key to determining whether the victim will live and their quality of life following the stroke.

Every 45 seconds, someone is attacked by stroke, the nation's 3rd largest cause of death and long-term disability. In Georgia, considered part of the "Stroke Belt", stroke is the third most common killer. Stroke took the lives of 4,625 Georgians in 2000. Georgia ranks 11th in the nation for death rates due to heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Half of all strokes are preventable. Uncontrollable risk factors include age, African-American or Hispanic ethnicity, prior stroke history and a family history of stroke. Controllable risk factors include weight, cholesterol and blood pressure levels and smoking.

Symptoms of stroke include sudden weakness on one side, sudden dizziness or difficulty walking, sudden loss of vision, sudden difficulty speaking or understanding or sudden severe headache.

Neurologists, emergency room nurses and stroke center administrators make up the team of Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification reviewers who conduct onsite evaluations of stroke program candidates for the certification.

St. Joseph's/Candler shares the distinction with Good Samaritan Hospital San Jose, San Jose, CA; University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, CA; Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY and Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, WA.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations, an independent nonprofit organization, evaluates and accredits more than 16,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. JCAHO is the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Since 1951, JCAHO has developed state-of-the-art, professionally based standards and evaluated the compliance of health care organizations against these benchmarks.

To learn more about stroke, call the St. Joseph's/Candler Care Call Center at 1-800-622-6877