Community Regional Medical Center was the first hospital in the Valley to be certified as a primary stroke center, earning the Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission. This certification reflects the commitment to front-line stroke care in central California, and is critical because it means patients can count on Community Regional to deliver the highest level of stroke care across the continuum of care. In addition, a committed team of highly competent staff lead efforts in achieving and maintaining this unique designation.

What does this mean for patients?

• Communication between the ambulance team and the hospital is in place before the patient arrives to the Emergency Department
• Rapid-Response Stroke Team of highly skilled medical professionals – including emergency physicians, surgeons, neurologists, nurses, therapists, laboratory and pharmacy staff, and radiologists – are specially trained to respond quickly and completely to the needs of a stroke patient.
• Each patient is immediately evaluated and treated using a uniform and extensive set of guidelines that address both emergency treatment and ongoing care
• A head CT scan or brain MRI scan can be performed and interpreted within 45 minutes of the stroke patient being admitted
• A fully functioning medical laboratory is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to analyze and provide test results in a timely manner
• In case of ischemic stroke (80% of stroke cases), administration of thrombolytic medication (intravenous thrombolysis) by certified interventional radiologist to break up the clot, restoring blood flow to the brain
• Stroke rehabilitation started immediately after hospitalization to improve long-term outcomes and decrease stroke-related complications
• On-going acute care to facilitate faster return to normal life for the patient

  

Our program, with its top physicians and specially trained stroke nurses, gives you the highest level for stroke care. The certification means our stroke care program has the most up-to-date care available.

According to the Joint Commission’s certification, we demonstrated that our stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients. We have top physicians in multiple specialties contributing to the care of each stroke patient – from the time they come into our emergency department to the time they return home. It’s a coordinated care pathway from arrival to discharging our patients.

Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 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. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at http://www.jointcommission.org/.