REDLANDS, CA.
– After undergoing an on-site evaluation and demonstrating compliance
with nationally developed standards for stroke care, Redlands Community
Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™
for certification as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center.
“In stroke care, time is brain function,” said Jean E. Range,
M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification,
The Joint Commission. “By achieving certification as an Advanced
Primary Stroke Center, Redlands Community Hospital has proven that it
has the ability to provide effective, timely care to stroke victims and
can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.”
Each year about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which
is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone
suffers a stroke every 40 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.
“We’re proud to achieve this special distinction from The
Joint Commission,” said James Holmes, president and CEO of Redlands
Community Hospital. “It validates our commitment to providing the
best possible care to our patients and our community.”
Redlands Community physicians say the Distinction underscores the hospital’s
hyper-vigilant focus on preventing, diagnosing and treating stroke. “Many
of us refer to stroke as a brain attack today because we want people to
think of stroke as an emergency medical situation,” said Dr. Phong
Nguyen, an emergency room physician and co-medical director of the Stroke
Program at Redlands Community Hospital. “We want residents to recognize
stroke symptoms and call 911 if they think they are suffering a stroke.
We have many medicines and tools today to reverse the damage for stroke
but time is of the essence.”
Symptoms of stroke can be subtle or immediately devastating. Dr. Robert
Klein, a neurologist and co-medical director of the hospital’s Stroke
Program, said learning the “FAST” diagnostic tool may be families
identify stroke sooner. FAST stands for Face (do you notice someone’s
smile droop); Arms (does one arm not move like the other); Speech (is
the person’s speech slurred or strange) and Time (call 911 if you
notice any of these signs). “Awareness of stroke symptoms could
mean the difference between life and death or severe disability,”
said Dr. Klein.
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
and 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.qualitycheck.org.