GLENDALE, Calif., March 27, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Glendale Adventist Medical Center is proud to announce that effective today, the hospital has earned the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers.
"This certification means Glendale Adventist Medical Center does the right things and does them well for stroke patients," says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission.
"Our team of physicians and stroke specialists are dedicated to ensuring that the amount of time that passes between stroke and treatment is minimal. Our goal is to diagnose and treat a person showing symptoms of stroke within an hour to two hours of arrival at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. Regardless of how an acute stroke patient enters the hospital, our Stroke Alert Team is ready to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each member of the team is highly trained and performs a critical function, resulting in faster treatment times and, ultimately, better outcomes and shorter hospital stays," said Lance Lee, MD, Medical Director of the Primary Stroke Center at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes an extensive, unannounced, on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers every two years. The program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of a program's processes, the program's ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and interviews with patients and staff.
"Glendale Adventist Medical Center voluntarily pursued this comprehensive, independent evaluation to enhance the safety and quality of stroke care we provide," says Cynthia Cabatan-Awang, Director of the Neuroscience Institute. "We're proud to achieve this distinction."
"On Monday, March 17, The Joint Commission spent a day at Glendale Adventist reviewing our stroke program for certification. They had no recommendations for improvements -- giving us the gold seal of approval," said Cabatan-Awang.
"The goal of our Primary Stroke Center is to improve patient outcomes through an organized system of care. This may sound like a simple task, but implementing a full service Stroke Center involves a high level of complexity in organizing standardized protocols, physician resources, nursing education and training, patient education and technological support. I am proud to say that we have achieved all of this and more," said Cabatan.
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, The Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
For more information on Glendale Adventist Medical Center's Primary Stroke Center, please call (818) 409-4505 or visit www.glendaleadventist.com