Another Honor for Trinity Health | Video

Rene Thibault | 1/15/2013

Another Honor has been given to Trinity Health for their work in Stroke Treatment and rehabilitation. Stroke is the number four cause of death in the United States, and the leading cause of adult disabilities in the country. In a community with a high number of elderly citizens, it’s more than important to have the appropriate care.

“Trinity Hospital has been working towards improving the quality and delivery of stroke service. In order to achieve those high standards, we tried to fulfill all of the criteria of The Joint Commission for stroke certification,” said Maximo Kiok, Trinity Health’s Medical Stroke Director.

The hospital had to show its ability to have results of initial lab tests within hours of a patients arrival, the capability to administer IV Thrombolytic Therapy (a procedure to dissolve blood clots) within three hours of onset symptoms, they had to have a dedicated stroke unit and host at least one public educational activity on stroke per year.

Developed in collaboration with the American Stroke Association and launched in 2003, The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification program is based on the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers.” These certifications are only available to stroke programs in Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals.

Through dedicated work in clinical practices and performance, Trinity Health has been named the 1,000th Certified Primary Stroke Center in the U.S. by the Joint Commission. With a designated Stroke unit, Trinity is ready to diagnose and treat patients of any age. “We do have a sizeable population of elderly patients and they do need this kind of timely care, but stroke is also increasing in a younger age group. So I think they program came in a very timely manner”, added Kiok.

“Knowing the signs and symptoms and getting there on time, it saves the brain. And we typically look at a certain time window to really break up that clot. So the quicker you can do that the better chance you have for improved outcomes, so calling 911 right away and getting to a primary stroke center is really key” said Michelle Gardner, the Vice President of Quality and System Improvement for the American Heart and Stroke Association.

So whether it’s a clot or ruptured blood vessel blocking the flow of blood to the brain, knowing the signs and symptoms, and acting fast can make the difference when it comes to saving someone from a debilitating condition.

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