Two Mercy facilities achieve stroke center certifications

Mercy Hospital in Rogers and Mercy Bella Vista clinic have achieved national certifications as a primary stroke center and a stroke-ready facility, respectively, from the American Stroke Association.

Mercy Hospital’s primary stroke center designation is a gold seal of approval and reflects Mercy’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care, according to the Joint Commission making the award.

Mercy has a stroke team on-site around the clock that is augmented by support from vStroke, Mercy’s virtual stroke program. To earn the certification, Mercy Hospital underwent an extensive onsite review earlier this summer. The hospital was evaluated on compliance and certification standards which are developed by healthcare experts, providers and patients. The reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews by the Joint Commission.

”Achieving Primary Stroke Center status speaks to the dedication of Mercy Hospital’s stroke team and their commitment to providing consistently excellent response to stroke,” said Eric Pianalto, president of Mercy Hospital. “I’m so proud of this team and all of the co-workers who support stroke care for addressing this important health care need in our community.”

Time and technique are important when it comes to treating strokes because the right interventions in the early stages of a stroke can lessen the potentially debilitating effects.

Mark Pelletier, chief operating officer for accreditation and certification operations and chief nursing executive for the Joint Commission who made the certification designation on behalf of American Stroke Association.

“We commend Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for stroke patients,” he said.

The acute stroke-ready designation received by Mercy Bella Vista signifies the clinic’s expertise in diagnosing and treating stroke.

The American Stroke Association said strokes are the No. 4 cause of death in the U.S. as well as a leading cause of adult disability. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.