By Mary O’KEEFE

Glendale Adventist Medical Center was awarded a certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center from DNV GL, an international risk management company [formed by the merger of the Norwegian and German companies Det Norske Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd]. DNV GL Healthcare USA has expertise in providing accreditation and clinical excellence certifications to hospitals.

DNV GL Comprehensive Stroke Centers represent the most advanced stroke treatment in the area. The objective of the DNV GL assessment process is to determine the medical center’s compliance with the certification requirements through observations, interviews and document reviews, according to DNVGL’s website.

“By earning this prestigious accreditation, Glendale Adventist Medical Center has demonstrated it exceeds patient safety standards set forth by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association,” Glendale Adventist said in a statement it released.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke kills almost 130,000 Americans each year. That breaks down to one out of every 20 deaths. On average one American dies from stroke every four minutes. Every year, more than 795,000 people in the U.S. suffer a stroke and about 610,000 of those are first or new strokes.

Those may be frightening statistics but the good news is the public is more educated about symptoms and the importance of getting immediate treatment.  Medical staff like those at the Glendale Adventist Advanced Primary Medical Stroke Center are trained to respond quickly with the most advanced treatment available.

“The fastest service should be offered,” said Lance Lee, M.D. Stroke Center medical director. “tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) should be given as soon as possible.”

tPA is a treatment that dissolves the clot and improves the blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived of blood flow during a stroke.

According to the CDC, patients who arrive at the emergency room within three hours of their first symptoms tend to have less disability three months after a stroke than those who received delayed care.

The key to stroke survival is early intervention by medical personnel, either by calling 9-1-1 or coming to a hospital. In other words, Lee said, it is education that is saving lives.

“Public education is the big difference,” Lee said. “Basically it is about getting to the hospital as soon as possible but [the patient] may not know where to go, where the nearest stroke center is.”

Beyond treating those immediately following a stroke, the center also provides rehabilitation treatment.

“Rehabilitation is a big part of the treatment for stroke,” Lee said.

Doctors at the center follow through with treatment as well as being proactive working with the patient to reduce the risk of another stroke.

“We’re honored to achieve this certification. The DNV GL program is consistent with our long-term commitment to quality and patient safety,” said Warren Tetz, senior vice president of operations and chief operating officer at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.

For more information regarding the signs of stroke in men and women, visit www.cvweekly.com/NEWS.

  Mary Okeefe