Grand View Hospital’s Stroke Care Program Awarded Certification from the Joint Commission

(Published March 13, 2008) – Grand View Hospital has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers.  Grand View Hospital earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an unannounced on-site review in December.

 “Grand View 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 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.

“We’re proud to achieve the distinction,” says Denise Kistler, R.N., stroke coordinator at Grand View Hospital. “Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes Grand View’s commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community.”

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.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more then 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations.

Grand View Hospital was one of 277 hospitals in America recognized in US News & World Report (July 23 issue) by the American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines (GWTG) program for performance achievement in stroke patient care. GWTG is the premier hospital-based, quality-improvement program for the American Stroke Association. It empowers hospitals to consistently treat stroke patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations.