Carilion Stroke Center Certified
Joint Commission Certification Recognizes “Exceptional Efforts” to Foster Better Outcomes
As Carilion Clinic celebrates a Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (CRMH), the number of patients being treated has almost doubled in the past 12 months. In June 2009, CRMH treated 43 emergency stroke patients. In June 2010, the number of stroke patients jumped to 80, the highest of the past 12 months. June capped a 12-month period that saw a significant increase in cases, beginning last December.
Stroke Center medical director Sidney Mallenbaum, MD explains the process for removing a clot from a patients brain
“We don’t think this means that a lot more people are suddenly having strokes”, said Carilion Clinic Neurologist Sidney Mallenbaum, M.D., medical director of the stroke unit. “Rather, we’ve been able to identify more strokes, and get people in for treatment while the stroke is still treatable.”
Carilion Clinic has been working towards improved stroke care for several months, starting with the “Know the Five” campaign for heart attack and stroke, (www.knowthefive.org), educating the public about the signs of stroke and encouraging people to seek emergency treatment quickly. Treatment options at Carilion Clinic include medication therapy to dissolve the clot causing the stroke, and an interventional therapy in which a device can actually pull a clot out of the brain.
Read more about Carilion’s stroke initiative in this article in the Roanoke Times. Listen to the story on WVTF public radio. Watch coverage on WSLS-TV and WDBJ-TV below.
