St. Joseph-s Hospital-s Stoke Center was recently awarded certification as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

JCAHO is a quality oversight body for health care organizations and managed care in the United States. This certification confirms our commitment to a high level of care to patients and families affected by stroke and TIA. Most importantly, certified stroke centers rapidly assess patients, and provide complete diagnostic testing within 45 minutes of arrival to the hospital with acute onset of stroke symptoms. By meeting this standard, treatment options are created for the individual needs
of each patient.

Stroke centers improve patient care by implementing evidence-based guidelines that can improve the outcome for all patients who are affected by stroke or TIA. Stroke coordinators and stroke teams are involved in the day-to-day care of patients, providing specially scripted patient and family education on stroke risk factor modification, primary and secondary prevention of stroke, stroke warning signs and the use of 911 when symptoms develop.

Stroke centers have mandatory education guidelines for all health care workers and an outcomes coordinator who continually identifies areas for improvement by performing chart audits on all stroke and TIA patients after discharge from the hospital.