Lake Charles Memorial Now a Primary Stroke Center

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^® and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Primary Stroke Certification.

Lake Charles Memorial underwent a rigorous onsite review in May 2019. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, delivering clinical care and performance improvement.

“Our certification journey began because the hospital wanted to ensure that our community had access to the most up-to-date stroke care available,” says Lake Charles Memorial Stroke Coordinator Paige Weaver. “Achieving this certification is testament to our team’s hard work and their dedication to providing the highest quality medical care for our stroke patients. Hospitals named as Primary Stroke Centers must have highly skilled, coordinated stroke teams who are able to provide care for patients when minutes matter.”

Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“This certification distinguishes Memorial as providing the next generation of stroke care, says Anna Cazes, Lake Charles Memorial Chief Operating Officer. “This is yet another achievement as we continue to build our trauma program to a Level III trauma center that meets and seeks to maintain these high standards of excellence.”

During the visit, The Joint Commission measured Memorial against national standards for the care of stroke patients including: door to CT scan time, how quickly patients received tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) – a clot-busting medication, how quickly patients are transferred who need clot retrieval procedures, and the quality of care administered within those time frames and through discharge. Memorial met these guideline standards thanks to the interdisciplinary team’s use and development of written care protocols, education programs, quality reviews and performance improvement activities across the health system.

“Primary Stroke Certification recognizes health care organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for stroke patients.”

“We congratulate Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for this outstanding achievement,” says Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Stroke Association. “This certification reflects its commitment to providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients.”

If you think you or someone else may be having a stroke, call 9-1-1 immediately! Time is essential in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke. The best chances of survival and recovery are if a person gets treatment within 3 hours. Do not waste any time. Stroke is an emergency so act F.A.S.T.