Last month Hartford Hospital earned recertification from the Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. Hartford Hospital was originally certified in 2013. This is our third recertification.
To be eligible, hospitals must demonstrate compliance with stroke-related standards as a Primary Stroke Center and meet additional requirements, including those related to advanced imaging capabilities, 24/7 availability of specialized treatments, and providing staff with the competencies to care for complex stroke patients.
Hartford Hospital is only one of two certified Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the state and provides care for the most complex patients.
“The Joint Commission reviewers were very impressed by our nursing, rehab, and provider staff. They found all staff to be very engaged and truly interested in caring for this population,” said Dawn Beland, Hartford Hospital’s stroke coordinator.
Providing patient education and having an individualized plan of care for each patient is a critical part of the certification process. Hartford Hospital shined in these areas.
Hartford Hospital also stood out for its expert emergency, neurology, neurosurgery and interventional radiology teams, neurocritical care providers and specialty-trained nursing staff throughout the continuum, from EMS care through rehabilitation.
Other Comprehensive Stroke Center requirements are related to stroke research and continued patient follow up after patients leave the hospital.
Reviewers from the Joint Commission also acknowledged several program enhancements made since the last review:
- Improvements in neurocritical care
- The opening of an Inpatient Rehab Unit
- The addition of stroke and neurology providers
- The addition of a nurse navigator
- Strong outcomes data
“The Joint Commission noted we were a well-established, integrated program. This recertification is a testament to our amazing multi-disciplinary team who are all 100 percent committed to ensuring the highest standards of care for our stroke patients,” said Beland.
For more information about the Stroke Center at Hartford Hospital, visit https://hartfordhospital.org/services/stroke.