CoxHealth Stroke Center receives national recognition for quality, timely care

The CoxHealth Stroke Center has been recognized by the American Heart Association, American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission for providing outstanding stroke care.

The center is the only hospital in the Ozarks named to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll list. This recognition is awarded to health systems that consistently treat tPA-eligible stroke patients in 60 minutes or less from the time they arrive at the hospital. tPA is tissue plasminogen activator, a drug that can dissolve the blood clots which cause most strokes. This is the second year in a row CoxHealth has received this honor.

“We know that with a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and this award demonstrates that our staff is committed to providing care that has been proven to quickly and efficiently treat stroke patients,” says Nancy Sadler, CoxHealth Stroke Center coordinator.

The center has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for certification as a Primary Stroke Center, after undergoing an on-site evaluation and demonstrating compliance with national stroke care standards.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every three minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

In the fall, CoxHealth was recognized as one of only 91 health system in the nation and the only hospital in our area to receive the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus Performace Achievement Award. This award recognizes a commitment to and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care.