Reston Hospital Earns Approval As Primary Stroke Center

has earned a Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center.

To receive the Primary Stroke Center designation, a stroke program must educate and train physicians and nursing staff in stroke care, and put in place processes for delivering clinical care developed by physician and nursing experts in the field, says Reston Hospital spokeswoman Joanna Fazio. This includes being prepared to give the clot-busting medication, t-PA. Faster care can lead to less disability, she says.

About 795,000 people each year experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes.

Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.

“We’re proud to achieve this distinction from The Joint Commission,” Reston Hospital Center CEO Tim McManus said in a statement.  

“Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes our commitment to providing outstanding stroke care to our patients and our community. The certification is exciting for the hospital and is good news for the residents of Northern Virginia because it means that they can now receive high-level interventional stroke care close to home.”

The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center 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 www.qualitycheck.org.