Elkhart General Hospital Awarded Advanced Certification For Primary Stroke Centers

Elkhart General Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.
“Elkhart General Hospital has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “We commend Elkhart General for becoming a leader in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community.”
The hospital underwent a rigorous onsite review in June. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.
“We congratulate Elkhart General for achieving this designation,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines Elkhart General has clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”
José Luis López, MD, Medical Director of the Beacon Health System Neurohospitalist and Stroke Programs, said the certification is the result of a dedicated interdisciplinary stroke committee, a supportive administrative team and the hard work of clinical teams and staff across the hospital.
“This achievement highlights our commitment to providing timely and exceptional stroke care to all members of our community, and to continually strive to advance the availability of innovative and quality care to patients with cerebrovascular disease,” said ?Dr. López.
Elkhart General also recently received recognition by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association with a Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award and Target Stroke Honor Roll award.
Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (JAMA, 2000) and the “Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011).
Stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.