ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Joseph's Hospital in downtown St. Paul, St. John's Hospital in Maplewood, and Woodwinds Health Campus in Woodbury - all part of the HealthEast Care System - have earned the Gold Seal of Approval(TM) for stroke care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has awarded these hospitals Primary Stroke Center Certification. The hospitals earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted on-site reviews in late November and early December 2004.
HealthEast is the first multi-site healthcare system in Minnesota and the Twin Cities to receive this distinction.
"We're proud to achieve this certification," says Tess Sierzant, MS, CNRN, HealthEast's neuroscience clinical nurse specialist. "Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes our commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community. Anyone living in the East Metro can rest assured that expert care is just minutes away at any of our three acute care hospitals."
"HealthEast's three hospitals demonstrated that their stroke care programs follow national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients," says Charles A. Mowll, executive vice president, Business Development, Government, and External Relations, Joint Commission.
This certification complements the regionally recognized expertise of HealthEast's Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital, which provides seamless care and rehabilitation for stroke patients.
Nearly 3,000 Minnesotans die each year from stroke. Nationally 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.
Time is Brain: Recognizing the symptoms and seeking treatment immediately is critical to preserving blood flow to precious brain tissue. Symptoms of a stroke include:
-- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one
side of the body
-- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
-- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
-- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
-- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
From the American Stroke Association.
The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification 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. A list of Joint Commission-certified programs is available at http://www.jcaho.org/ .
HealthEast Care System
HealthEast Care System is a community-focused, non-profit health care system that provides a full spectrum of family health services. Hospitals include St. Joseph's Hospital, St. John's Hospital, Woodwinds Health Campus and Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital. Other services include clinics, senior care centers, rehabilitation facilities, hospice, home care, outpatient surgery centers and a variety of other health facilities and programs. HealthEast has approximately 7,500 employees and has more than 1,300 physicians on staff.
HealthEast Care SystemCONTACT: Ginger Buxa of HealthEast Public Relations, +1-651-326-3590,gabuxa@healtheast.org
Web Site: http://www.jcaho.org/
