Lutheran unit certified
By Sherry Slater | The Journal Gazette
Lutheran Hospital has been named a certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, only the second Indiana hospital to receive the designation, a Lutheran spokesman said Thursday.
Only about 4 percent of the 5,534 registered hospitals nationwide have been named comprehensive stroke centers by the two certifying organizations.
Indiana University Health in Indianapolis is the only other one in the state.
DNV GL – Healthcare of Milford, Ohio, granted Lutheran Hospital's certification. According to the firm's website, “Comprehensive Stroke Centers represent the most advanced stroke treatment available in a given geographic area.”
The evaluation incorporates standards created by the American Stroke Association and the Brain Attack Coalition, according to DNV GL's website.
Patrick Horine, DNV GL's chief executive, said the designation is the highest available.
“Achieving certification shows commitment to excellence,” he said in a statement.
Paula Autry, Lutheran Hospital's CEO, said hospitals need more than the best doctors, nurses and resources to make a difference in the life of stroke patients.
They also need to act quickly because minutes can make the difference in recovery. Comprehensive stroke centers must consistently get stroke patients to a doctor in less than 10 minutes after arrival at the hospital and to the trained stroke team in less than 15 minutes.
“This certification from DNV GL validates all the effort we have put into this program and to ensuring the health and safety of our patients,” Autry said in a statement.
Almost 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke in the U.S. each year, according to the American Stroke Association.
Lutheran Hospital employs staff trained in stroke care and has designated beds for stroke patients in its neuro intensive care unit, spokesman Geoff Thomas said.
