Catawba Valley Medical Center named certified Primary Stroke Center

According to The Joint Commission, “The Certificate of Distinction for Primary Stroke Centers recognizes centers that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care. Programs applying for advanced certification must meet the requirements for Disease-Specific Care Certification plus additional, clinically specific requirements and expectations.”

“This designation recognizes our commitment to quality care,” said Angela Whisenant, RN, BSN, Stroke Program Coordinator. “Our goal is to give both hope and assistance to those who have suffered a stroke, and to help those in our community who have been touched by stroke. Our Stroke Program offers services led by a group of medical professionals who specialize in stroke care, and work together to diagnose, treat and provide early rehabilitation of stroke patients. They are cared for in designated stroke units equipped with the latest medical technology for stroke care. With new diagnostic tools in emergency medicine, including a stroke robot in collaboration with the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Department of Neurology, CVMC’s Emergency Department has made advances to effectively take care of stroke patients in a timely manner 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

CVMC’s Stroke Team is comprised of a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist, Rehabilitation Patient Care Coordinator, Pharmacist, EMS Staff, Performance Improvement, Patient Care Coordinators and Clinical Development Coordinators, as well as the Medical Director for Stroke, and the Emergency Department Medical Director. In addition to Whisenant, the core team members are Danielle Thurman, RN, BSN, Emergency Department Liaison/Stroke Program and Robert Yapundich, MD, Neurologist, Stroke Program Medical Director.

Stroke care experts from The Joint Commission conduct on-site certification reviews based on three areas: evaluation of standards, clinical practice guidelines and performance measurement activities. Initial certification is granted for a one-year period. Following a first-year review, on-site visits occur every two years and bi-annual assessments of compliance are submitted to remain certified, according to The Joint Commission.

About Catawba Valley Medical Center

Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s largest not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community without direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive medicine and acute care. CVMC has received three Magnet designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and has been recognized with three Women’s Choice Awards, being named one of America’s Best 100 Hospitals for Patient Experience in 2012, a 2013 Best Hospital for Patient Experience in Obstetrics and one of America’s Best Hospitals in Orthopedics in 2013 by WomenCertified®. For more information, please visit http://www.catawbavalleymedical.org.

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