STROKE UNIT AT VALLEY BAPTIST AWARDED
CERTIFICATION BY NATIONAL COMMISSION

HARLINGEN - Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen has earned “Gold Seal of Approval” status for stroke care from a national accrediting organization, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which is headquartered in Illinois.

VBMC-Harlingen earned the national distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an on-site review in September.

“Valley Baptist demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients,” said Charles A. Mowll, the Joint Commission’s Executive Vice President for Business Development, Government and External Relations.

“This is an esteemed honor and award held by only a few institutions within the state of Texas,” said Shane Spees, CEO for VBMC-Harlingen. “This is a tribute and honor to the hard work and dedication of our physicians and employees at Valley Baptist Medical Center, who strive to make this the best institution in the country. We are committed to providing outstanding care to our patients and the community.”

Each year, about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is also a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.

Valley Baptist’s six-bed Stroke Unit, which is located on the second floor of VBMC-Harlingen’s South Tower, provides specialized care for stroke patients and promotes education on ways to prevent stroke. Valley Baptist uses a clot-busting medication called TPA when medically indicated to reverse strokes. The sooner that treatment begins after a stroke, the better the patient’s chances of surviving without disabilities.

In reviewing Valley Baptist’s Stroke Program, the Joint Commission noted that VBMC uses an interdisciplinary approach to provide care, while utilizing the Six Sigma quality improvement system to monitor quality outcomes.

“The program is supported by sound emergency, neurological, neurosurgical, and nursing services,” the Joint Commission stated in its report. “Emergency care extends into the pre-hospital care sector through EMS medical command services and a helicopter transport system. The Acute Stroke Team has developed and implemented written order sets to guide the clinical direction of stroke care. When these order sets are used there is consistency in both acute care management and secondary stroke prevention.”

The Joint Commission also noted that VBMC has developed an effective swallow screening tool. “Use of the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association guidelines is visible in communication, procedures, and practices,” the Joint Commission added. “VBMC provides community education through television commercials and stroke screenings at the local mall and a mobile unit, and ongoing stroke survivor support through the ‘Starting Now’ program.”

Mr. Spees noted the certification is effective for two years as of September, 2005. “This distinguished certification indicates our Stroke Program’s compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of established clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and performance measurement and improvement activities,” Mr. Spees added.

The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements / guidelines for stroke care. Earlier this year, Valley Baptist’s Stroke Unit received “Recognition” status with the American Stroke Association -- becoming only the second hospital in the state of Texas to receive this award.

The Joint Commission launched the nation’s first stroke center certification program in 2003. A list of Joint Commission-certified programs across the country is available at www.jcaho.org.