Citrus Valley Hospitals Recognized for Best-In-Class Stroke Care
Stroke patients are receiving life-saving critical care at two Citrus Valley Health Partners' hospitals, according to the American Heart Association and The Joint Commission.
For the fifth year in a row, Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina received the coveted American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and for the first time, Foothill Presbyterian Hospital in Glendora has received its Stroke Bronze Quality Achievement Award. The awards recognize the hospitals' commitment to providing stroke patients with evidence-based, best-in-class care.
Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. 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.
"This achievement reflects our team's commitment to providing the highest level of stroke care to our patients," sys Dr. Arbi Ohanian, medical director of the Primary Stroke Center at Queen of the Valley.
The Joint Commission also recently accredited Foothill Presbyterian as just the fourth hospital in California to be designated as Acute Stroke Ready. The two-year certification recognizes hospitals equipped to treat stroke patients with timely, evidence-based care prior to transferring them to a Primary or Comprehensive Stroke Center. The stroke team has been training for two years in effort to achieve the designation.
"Our nurses are trained to recognize stroke symptoms and activate a Code Stroke if needed. Our care team can also administer clot busting medications, which can make a huge difference in a patient's outcome and rehabilitation," says Stroke Coordinator Hedy Dizon.
"We're proud to offer high level treatment and life-saving stroke care to our communities right in their own backyard," adds Mary Konyalian, corporate director of Neuroscience Services for Citrus Valley Health Partners (CVHP).