LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- White Memorial Medical Center is proud to announce that effective Nov. 30, the hospital has earned the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission for Advanced Primary Stroke Centers. The hospital earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an on-site review in October.
"White Memorial Medical Center 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.
"We're proud to achieve the distinction," says Ray Morales MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, White Memorial Medical Center. "Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes White Memorial's commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community."
"Time becomes a critical factor from the onset of a stroke. That's why it's so important to go to a specially designated hospital that is certified to treat strokes," said Morales.
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.
To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes an extensive on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers every two years.
The Stroke Program has developed a hospital-wide protocol that is immediately triggered when a stroke patient is brought to the Emergency Department. First, the "Stroke Alert" code is announced, and then the trained and certified interdisciplinary stroke team quickly arrives to conduct all necessary tests. If the patient meets the criteria, he or she receives treatment that reduces the effects of stroke and is admitted for specialty stroke care. White Memorial Medical Center is committed to rapidly identifying, transporting and treating stroke patients for best-practice outcomes.
The program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of a program's processes, the program's ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and interviews with patients and staff. 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 programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.
White Memorial Medical Center is one of 11 Certified Advanced Primary Stroke Centers in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently announced that ambulances with suspected stroke patients are now required to go to facilities certified as a Primary Stroke Center, like White Memorial Medical Center, with a specialized stroke neurologist available on-call at all times. For more information about the Stroke Center at White Memorial Medical Center, please call (323) 268-5000 or go to www.whitememorial.com