PCMH Earns Level III Stroke Center Designation Status
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Time Critical Diagnosis Unit has certified Pike County Memorial Hospital as a Level III Stroke Center.
Level III Centers play an important role in providing access to time critical care which is important to patients in non-metropolitan areas. PCMH elected to pursue the voluntary Level III Stroke Certification in order to provide better care for its patients.
“I am thrilled to announce PCMH now has the Stroke Certification to allow us to care for our families during a serious life event such as a stroke. The entire PCMH team joined together to build a comprehensive stroke program to better serve our community. We are proud of the hard work our team has applied to offer this much needed service for our area. PCMH strives to enhance our services and continuously works towards new innovative ways to provide best practice models and new services to our community,” said Tylie Mills, RN, BSN,MHA, PCMH Emergency/EMS Director.
When Minutes
Make A Difference
Why is treatment of acute ischemic stroke time critical? Evidence shows that the earlier patients are treated with t-PA within the first 90 minutes from stroke onset – the higher the odds of a good outcome. What is t-PA? t-PA (Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator) t-PA, also known as rt-PA is a clot-dissolving agent. The goal of which is to destroy the clot within the blood vessel to allow restoration of blood flow. Patients treated after 90 minutes from symptom onset have poorer outcomes and a graded response to t-PA with reduced recovery. Stroke (both ischemic and hemorrhagic) is the third leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in the United States and Missouri.
Stroke victims who receive treatment within specific time frames from the time their symptoms begin are more likely to recover and less likely to have permanent disabilities. Currently, only a small percentage of stroke patients in Missouri get help within the recommended amount of time.
What does this mean for the community?
PCMH has satisfied the stringent criteria to receive this Level III Stroke Center designation. If someone is showing the signs of a stroke, the Stroke Team at PCMH will implement the Stroke protocols. The coordination is designed to assess and confirm a stroke, then implement treatment to the patient in the shortest time possible. PCMH continuously performs Code Stroke drills, provides stroke education to staff, and maintains all required certifications to help ensure that when a patient with a stroke comes to PCMH, they will receive effective and efficient care.
