Plainview Hospital Recognized for Quality Stroke Care

has been recognized by the American Heart Association for its high quality of care for its stroke patients, the hospital announced Monday.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association awarded the hospital its "Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award," for "the hospital’s commitment to and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care ..." according to the hospital, which is paft of the

Plainview was credited with achieving at least 24 consecutive months of 85 percent or higher adherence to all stroke performance achievement indicators. These measures include: aggressive use of medications, such as tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, a clot-busting drug, and other therapies; prevention of deep vein thrombosis, cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation, all aimed at reducing death and disability; and improving the lives of stroke patients.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost,” said Gerald Brogan, M.D., director of Plainview’s stroke unit. “Receiving a Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award demonstrates that our highly trained staff is committed to providing care that has been clinically proven to quickly and efficiently treat stroke patients with evidence-based protocols.” 

As a New York State-designated stroke center, Plainview Hospital has a multidisciplinary stroke team available 24 hours a day to assess and treat stroke patients, the hospital said.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Additionally, the number of patients eligible for stroke care is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and an aging population.

For additional information about stroke prevention and treatment visit http://www.northshorelij.com/NSLIJ/Neurovascular+and+Stroke+Institute