St. Francis Medical Center Announces its Designation as an Approved Stroke Center

LYNWOOD, CA – Committed to saving lives and “saving brain,” St. Francis Medical Center (SFMC) announced its recent designation as an Approved Stroke Center (ASC) by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMS) at a community event on Sept. 30 at the hospital. As an ASC, St. Francis Medical Center will provide South Los Angeles residents who are experiencing a stroke more immediate critical, life-saving care within their own community. Stroke victims will not need to travel as far for treatment, and this is vital. With stroke, minutes matter.

According to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA), someone has a stroke approximately every 40 seconds in the United States. This equates to about 795,000 people per year. It is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. It is the 2nd leading cause of death in Los Angeles County. St. Francis Medical Center wants to change these statistics in its community.

The AHA/ASA explains that “a stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or ruptures. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it and brain cells die.”

“Becoming an Approved Stroke Center for LA County is something we were absolutely committed to achieving,” said Mary Lynne Knighten, DNP, RN, PN, NEA-BC, vice president of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer for St. Francis Medical Center and lead member of the hospital’s Stroke Care Team. “Our team is dedicated to saving lives and to ‘saving brain,’” she continued. “Every minute that a stroke is left untreated, an estimated 1.9 million neurons die, and for every hour, the brain loses as many cells as it does in 3.6 years. That’s significant.”

More than providing rapid life-saving and brain-saving response and treatment for stroke victims, St. Francis Medical Center has embarked on a campaign to educate the community about stroke awareness and prevention. For the past year, SFMC’s Community Outreach and Senior Wellness teams have been at local churches and senior centers teaching F.A.S.T. – Face Drooping, Arm Weakness, Speech Difficulty, Time to Call 911 – the signs and symptoms of stroke. The teams are helping residents understand stroke risk factors, such as high blood pressure and smoking, and that stroke affects men, and even more women, at every age.

Gerald Kozai, PharmD, president/CEO at St. Francis Medical Center, further underscored stroke awareness and education by demonstrating how to download the free “Spot a Stroke” phone app from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association website during the program. The smart phone app also enables you to find the closest stroke center in your area. He stated, “One-third of Americans do not know the stroke warning signs. Here’s a way we can have this information at our fingertips. It could save your life or the life of a loved one.”

In following Dr. Kozai, Antoine Mitri, MD, medical director for SFMC’s Stroke Care Program, emphasized to the audience, “Stroke awareness and education begins in your doctor’s office. Stroke patients with the least favorable outcomes are the ones who ignore the warning signs, go to bed, and then wake up with paralysis. We must educate people to identify the signs and to call 911.”

In turn Cathy Chidester, RN, MSN, director of the LA County Emergency Medical Services Agency, said that since the LA County stroke network was established in 2009, 15,000 stroke victims have been triaged to approved stroke centers. Today there are 37 EMS-approved stroke centers in LA County, which Chidester said are “dedicated centers of excellence.” She added that, as an ASC, SFMC will add to the data EMS collects on stroke care and this will help to improve treatment.

The program included the presentation of the “Get With the Guidelines” Bronze Award to St. Francis Medical Center by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for achieving at least 90 consecutive days of 85% or higher adherence to the program’s quality indicators to improve quality of patient care and outcomes. Presenters Marissa Fortuno and Laura Baker from the AHA/ASA noted that this is an impressive achievement for the hospital’s Stroke Care Program, which went live just this past November.

SFMC was also presented with a Certificate of Congressional Commendation and Certificate of Recognition by representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Janice Hahn and California Assembly Member Anthony Rendon, respectively, for attaining Disease-Specific Care Certification as an Advance Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, and for the critical service that SFMC’s Stroke Center provides to the community.

The event was highlighted by the personal testimony of Rosina Espinoza, a 36 year-old woman who works in Lynwood and suffered a stroke in July. “I was in my car, I didn’t feel well and felt dizzy,” began Espinoza. “I thought it was an anxiety attack.”

Espinoza realized it was something more serious when she felt dampness on her arms and legs and her arm didn’t respond when she tried to reach for some water. She continued, “I couldn’t talk well, so I couldn’t call 911. I knew St. Francis was close by so I drove myself to the ER.” She interjected with a cautionary chuckle, “Don’t do that.”

Upon Espinoza’s arrival to the Emergency Department, the stroke care team was activated and initiated immediate treatment.

Espinoza was amazed by the complement of doctors, nurses, and technicians who responded, and she fully appreciates the whole team that was there for her. She credits her extraordinary recovery to them and spoke emotionally as she described her initial fear which was replaced by a grateful heart. “I was scared I wouldn’t be the same person. Would I walk again? Could I take care of my family?” She was both surprised and elated when her caregivers said she was well enough to go home.

With hands on her heart she turned to the stroke team and said, “Thank you for saving my life. You changed my life and my family’s life. When I see the hospital’s logo and it says ‘Our Mission is Life,’ I am so proud to say that I approve of that!”

In response to Espinoza’s powerful testimony, Clayton Kazan, MD, medical director of Emergency Services at St. Francis Medical Center and emcee for the event, posed this poignant question to the audience of elected official, paramedics/first responders, and community leaders, “What would have happened to Ms. Espinoza if we were not a Stroke Care Center?”

Closing the program, Knighten stated, “Through the hard work and commitment of our Stroke Care Team and the collaborative partnership we have with LA County EMS, we’ve taken an important step in ensuring access to immediate stroke care for our community. We’re preserving life and quality of life for patients and families.”