Alexian Brothers Medical Center and St. Alexius Medical Center Receive Primary Stroke Center National Certification

June 25, 2007 - St. Alexius Medical Center, Hoffman Estates, and Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, part of the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, have received certification from the Joint Commission as Primary Stroke Centers (PSC).  

Both hospitals are amongst the first hospitals in Illinois to be certified as part of a new campaign designed to raise the standard of stroke care. By recognizing select medical facilities for their advanced stroke care, the Joint Commission designation helps the public identify which hospitals offer the best possible outcomes for stroke patients.

"As Certified Stroke Centers, the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, demonstrated its ability to provide care from a multi-disciplinary team of neurologists, emergency department specialists, radiologists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, and technicians, each working in a coordinated, collaborative system," said Wende Fedder RN, MBA, Administrative Director Alexian Brothers Hospital Network Stroke Program. "To maintain its certification, the Stroke Centers must document and report its evidence-based patient outcomes."

"Stroke is one of the most preventable of all life-threatening health problems, yet each year, more than 750,000 people experience a stroke," said Phil Gorelick MD, MPH, Stroke Center Medical Director at Alexian Brothers Hospital Network. The Joint Commission's new initiative to certify disease specific units and programs at hospitals is a new trend in healthcare. "We commend these organizations for seeking certification and serving as an example of standardization and, thereby, improving the care stroke patients receive. We look forward to other organizations joining them in making a public commitment to quality and safety," said Maureen Potter, executive director of the Disease Specific Care certification program at the Joint Commission.