Christian Hospital certified as Primary Stroke Center Christian Hospital is now among only 14 percent of all hospitals nationwide to be certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center, along with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Boone Hospital Center within BJC.
In 2009, Christian Hospital participated in the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program. The goal of the program is to improve the overall quality of care for stroke patients by improving acute stroke treatment and preventing future strokes and cardiovascular events.
Over the past year, the Christian Hospital stroke certification team has been working to develop standard- of-care guidelines and clinical pathways. Staff education and development tools also were created, and staff training began in February for EMS, CH and Northwest HealthCare emergency department staff, ICU, AMCU and the 10th floor neuro unit.
Physicians and registered nurses on the neuro unit are certified in stroke care by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Services.
Christian Hospital applied in early 2010 for Joint Commission certification to be designated as a Primary Stroke Center. The Joint Commission, an independent, nonprofit organization, is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Overall, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 18,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.