Mercy Neurological Institute Announces Mercy Hospital Of Folsom Designated As A Primary Stroke Center

Mercy Hospital of Folsom has been certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission, the leading healthcare accreditation organization in the nation.

According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every four minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term adult disability in the United States with about seven million stroke survivors alive today.

"We are proud to receive designation as a Primary Stroke Center," said Don Hudson, president of Mercy Hospital of Folsom. "The certification reaffirms Mercy Folsom's commitment to delivering the best stroke care possible in the communities we serve."

The Mercy Neurological Institute of Greater Sacramento has been nationally recognized by the Joint Commission with Primary Stroke Center designations at all six of its hospitals: Mercy General Hospital, Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Mercy Hospital of Folsom, Methodist Hospital of Sacramento, Woodland Healthcare and Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital.

"At the Mercy Neurological Institute, we recognize the need for improving stroke care," said Alan Shatzel, DO, medical director of neurology for the Mercy Neurological Institute. "Now all six of our hospitals are Primary Stoke Centers and that's significant in this region. We provide cutting edge therapies for ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes and access to interventional neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons around the clock for more complex cases."

Becoming a Joint Commission-certified primary stroke center means that a hospital has demonstrated the ability to provide the complete continuum of care, from prevention education to time-sensitive treatment to follow-up care for those who have a stroke.

Primary stroke centers:

• Use a standardized method of delivering care based on the Brain Attack Coalition recommendations for establishment of primary stroke centers.
• Support a patient's self-management activities.
• Tailor treatment and intervention to individual needs.
• Promote the flow of patient information across settings and providers, while protecting patient rights, security and privacy.
• Analyze and use standardized performance measure data to continually improve treatment plans.
• Demonstrate their application of and compliance with the clinical practice guidelines published by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association or equivalent evidence-based guidelines.

A primary stroke center at Mercy Hospital of Folsom means every incoming stroke patient will be treated as an emergency, since treatment within the first minutes or hours after a stroke may determine the level of recovery the patient will achieve. Mercy Folsom's emergency medicine physicians have been trained in the assessment of acute stroke patients and work in collaboration with Mercy neurologists.

"Having Joint Commission-certified stroke centers not only means provision of the best possible care focused on the stroke patient, but also means being able to help improve awareness and education in the community and among healthcare providers. To have a national body like the Joint Commission recognizing and endorsing the exceptional services of our top-notch staff and physicians is a significant achievement," said Gary Plundo, MD, Vice President Medical Affairs, Mercy Hospital of Folsom.

About Mercy Folsom Hospital
Mercy Hospital of Folsom, an 85-bed acute care hospital located at 1650 Creekside Drive in Folsom, is committed to providing excellent healthcare for the Folsom, El Dorado Hills and foothill communities. As these communities grow, the hospital continues to expand its services to meet the needs of area families. Mercy Hospital of Folsom is part of Dignity Health - the largest Catholic healthcare system based in the western United States, with hospitals and medical groups in California, Arizona and Nevada. In the Sacramento area, Dignity Health operates Mercy General Hospital, Mercy Hospital of Folsom, Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Methodist Hospital, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Woodland Healthcare and Dignity Health Medical Foundation. Dignity Health is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable healthcare services with special attention to the poor and underserved. In 2011, Dignity Health provided $1.4 billion in charity care, community benefit and unreimbursed patient care