Mountain View, CA - July 15, 2013 - El Camino Hospital today announced that its Los Gatos campus received Joint Commission Certification for Primary Stroke Centers, making it the newest Certified Primary Stroke Center in Santa Clara County. Achievement of Primary Stroke Center Certification signifies an organization’s dedication to fostering better outcomes for patients. El Camino Hospital’s Primary Stroke Center Certification has demonstrated that their program meets critical elements of performance to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes for stroke patients.
"Obtaining Joint Commission Certification means that the Los Gatos campus has met a set of clinical standards to treat patients suffering from stroke who need immediate assessment and treatment," said Tomi Ryba, president and chief executive officer of El Camino Hospital. "The multidisciplinary team that participated in this process should be congratulated for their efforts and for their unwavering commitment to patient care."
Developed in collaboration with the American Stroke Association and launched in 2003, The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification program is based on the Brain Attack Coalition's "Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers." Certification is available only to stroke programs in Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals.
"El Camino Hospital is thoroughly committed to providing our patients with the highest quality stroke care based on current scientific research to ensure continuous improvement in care," said Peter Fung, MD, medical director of the Stroke Program at both El Camino Hospital campuses. "Now that both of El Camino Hospital campuses are Joint Commission certified, patients throughout our service area can feel reassured that we have services available to help them when every second counts."
"In achieving Joint Commission advanced certification, El Camino Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its stroke patients," says Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. "Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends El Camino Hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves."
For more information on The Joint Commission and American Heart Association’s Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Center visit www.jointcommision.org or www.heart.org.
About Joint Commission:
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,600 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,600 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also certifies more than 2,400 disease-specific care programs such as stroke, heart failure, joint replacement and stroke rehabilitation, and 400 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. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
About the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association:
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.
About El Camino Hospital
El Camino Hospital is an acute-care, 443-bed, nonprofit and locally governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, Calif. In addition to state-of-the-art emergency departments, key medical specialties include neuroscience, heart and vascular, cancer care, urology, orthopedic and spine, genomic medicine, and the only Women's Hospital in Northern California. The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology and wireless communications, and has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center as well as back-to-back ANCC Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care.