The Queen's Medical Center Recognized for Higher Standards in Stroke Care

May is National Stroke Awareness Month, so it's a good time to learn the warning signs of stroke: Click on "Departments and Services," then "Stroke Center" on this website.

The Queen's Medical Center recently received the American Stroke Association's Get With The GuidelinesSM-Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) Initial Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes Queen's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

"With a stroke, time lost is brain lost," said Cherylee Chang, MD, FACP, Medical Director of Queen's Neuroscience Institute and Neurocritical Care and Director of the Queen's Stroke Center. "Queen's stroke standards address the important element of time." Queen's developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency room. This includes being ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available for evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate. To earn the award, Queen's consistently complied with GWTG requirements, including aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation education.

"The American Stroke Association commends Queen's for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols," said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, national GWTG Steering Committee Member and Director of Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The full implementation of GWTG guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving the outcomes of stroke patients."

For more information about stroke and stroke care at Queen's, visit the Stroke Center on this website (found under the "Departments and Services" link).