The Joint Commission’s Advanced Primary Stroke Center Certification was granted on March 9^th following a detailed, on-site review of the hospital on March 8, 2010. It is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program — the nation’s first — in 2003.

“It was our goal for our community that Henry Mayo be a Primary Stroke Center,” says Mark Schultz, MD, medical director for Henry Mayo’s Primary Stroke Center. “This matters to every patient who walks out of our hospital who would have otherwise been paralyzed or disabled for life – they are the ones we do this for.”

“Dr. Mark Schultz and his Stroke Center team have made this a better hospital by their commitment to attain the Primary Stroke Center distinction,” said Roger Seaver, President and CEO at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. “They continually keep the patient central to their decisions and it shows.”

The Stroke Center team was led by Mark Schultz, MD, medical director of Neurology; Dee Rickett, RN, nursing director for Critical Care Services; Sonya Carroll, RN, director of Nursing Administration; and Larry Kidd, vice president and chief nursing officer. They oversaw a key performance improvement process by adoption of evidence-based guidelines, training for all patient care staff, measurement of key processes and elements of performance, and monitoring and improvement of measurable performance. More than twenty professionals, including physicians, clinical and ancillary staff, collaborated to design a stroke program that continuously provides safe, high-quality care, treatment, and services for patients.

“Henry Mayo Hospital demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients,” says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.

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 ever 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.

Early treatment of stroke symptoms may mean more treatment options and a better outcome. A stroke can happen to anyone, but according to the National Stroke Association, after the age of 55, your stroke risk doubles every decade.