UKIAH, CA – The Joint Commission, in conjunction with The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, recently recognized Ukiah Valley Medical Center (UVMC) with Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers.

This designation signifies an organization’s dedication to achieving the best outcome for patients presenting with symptoms of stroke.

With stroke being the leading cause of disability across the nation, early diagnosis and intervention affects the quality of life greatly.

The designation was granted following a rigorous on-site review in June of 2014.

A Joint Commission expert reviewed UVMC’s compliance with the requirements for The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification program as well as primary stroke center requirements, such as collecting performance data on key measures of timeliness and care, using it for improvement.

Emergency Room Registered Nurse Kim Swift spearheaded the certification process.

“I worked closely with our clinical staff to develop stroke protocols and competencies,” Swift said. “I reviewed all stroke cases and worked with our council to make patient care improvements when necessary. We worked closely with our local emergency medical responder teams in the field and with our radiology and laboratory teams in the hospital. This allowed us to shorten the time it takes to determine if the patient in fact is having a stroke, because when you are having a stroke – every second counts!”

"In achieving Joint Commission advanced certification, UVMC has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its stroke patients,” said Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends UVMC for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”

According to VP of Patient Care at UVMC, Heather Van Housen, attaining this certification is to really give the community peace-of-mind.

“In 2013 we saw 108 stroke patients in our emergency department – a 20 percent increase over 2012,” Van Housen said. “We are committed to being the best hospital possible to come to when you have symptoms of stroke. The multi-disciplinary team ready to serve you includes professionals in emergency medicine, nursing, radiology, laboratory, rehabilitation – all blending their passion and skill to improve the care of patients experiencing stroke symptoms.”

“Our goal in treating stroke patients is to complete the initial evaluation, including the radiologist review of imaging, within 45 minutes,” said Chief of Medical Staff at UVMC Charlie Evans, M.D.

“Studies show that patients who present early enough to have intervention with thrombolytic (clot busting) drugs within the first 3 hours may benefit from use of these medications,” said Evans. “This means, that if our stroke team reaches its goal and completes the assessment within 45 minutes, a patient must arrive in the ED no later than two hours and 15 minutes from the onset of their symptoms to maximally benefit from our treatment.

“Like most all systems of health care today this required a tremendous team effort and one that we are all proud to have accomplished,” Evans said. “Our community will be well served by the efforts of this committed group of individuals who are truly committed to helping patients who suffer from this debilitating and life changing effects of stroke.”

“Our team is committed to providing our community with the highest quality stroke care based on current scientific research to ensure continuous improvement in care,” said Gwen Matthews, president and chief executive officer of UVMC. “Primary Stroke Center Certification has given us the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide for our patients, and improved outcomes that benefit the patients and families in our community.”

Developed in collaboration with the American Stroke Association and launched in 2003, The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification program is based on the Brain Attack Coalition's "Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers." Certification is available only to stroke programs in Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals.

For more information on The Joint Commission and American Heart Association’s Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Center visit http://www.jointcommission.org/ or www.heart.org/myhospital .