Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton has been named a Primary Stroke Facility by the State of Texas. The hospital also is the first and only in Denton County to be certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission.
This certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements and guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program — the nation’s first — in 2003. A list of programs certified by The Joint Commission is available at qualitycheck.org.
On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to ensure that patients have the best possible outcome after experiencing a stroke. This prestigious advanced certification demonstrates the hospital's expertise in quickly treating stroke patients.
Each year, about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation's third leading cause of death, according to The Joint Commission. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.
Texas Health Denton offers outpatient and inpatient services, extended therapy care and support groups, all to try to make recovery as swift and complete as possible. Symptoms of stroke must be recognized FAST:
- F - Facial Droop. When the individual smiles, does one side of their face droop?
- A - Arm Drift. When the individual raises both arms, does one arm drift downward?
- S - Slurred Speech. When the individual repeats a sentence, are any of the words slurred?
- T - Time is Key. If a person shows any of the above symptoms, call 911.
About the Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations.
The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more then 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities.
In addition, the Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. |
