Hampden Medical Center receives Primary Stroke Center Certification

Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Primary Stroke Center Certification.

“This certification recognizes our collective commitment to continuous quality improvement in stroke care,” said Dr. James Leaming, Hampden Medical Center vice president of medical affairs. “It brings additional consistency to our clinical processes, strengthens our overall stroke program and expands access to lifesaving care in our community.”

“The faster a stroke or ‘brain attack’ is identified and treated, the better the chances are that brain tissue can be saved,” said Maryann Brogden-Brandt, stroke coordinator. “For every minute stroke treatment is delayed, a patient loses 1.9 million brain cells, which can lead to long-term disability or even death.”

Stroke is one of the leading causes of serious disability in the United States. Access to specialized stroke care is critical to the community to reduce the overall physical and psychological burdens of stroke. This certification is given to hospitals that provide emergency stroke care, evaluation for acute stroke treatments, processes to reduce additional strokes and recovery. Hampden Medical Center’s interdisciplinary stroke team has demonstrated its commitment to improving the quality of stroke care delivered through compliance with stroke quality measures, continuous process improvement and ongoing data collection.

“Our stroke team worked tirelessly to achieve this designation, which has come just a year and a half after opening the medical center,” said Don McKenna, regional president, Hampden and Holy Spirit medical centers. “Both of our hospitals can provide patients with critical stroke care when literally every second counts.”

With the Hampden Medical Center certification, four of five Penn State Health hospitals now have stroke center certification. St. Joseph Medical Center has Primary Stroke Center Certification, Holy Spirit Medical Center has Advanced Primary Stroke Center Certification, and Hershey Medical Center has Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification, the highest level of stroke center certification.

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