St. Alexius Medical Center recently received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–Stroke Bronze Quality Achievement Award. St. Alexius is the only hospital in the state to receive the award this year. This achievement recognizes St. Alexius’ commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.
Because St. Alexius recognizes the important role time plays in a stroke, the Medical Center has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate. “Having lost my father to a stroke, I am very aware of the severity of strokes and the impact it has on lives. St. Alexius and our team of stroke care experts are very proud to be nationally recognized for our stroke care,” says St. Alexius president and CEO Gary P. Miller.
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the United States. 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.