Vim & Vigor - Fall 2019 - CH - 53

Artis arrived at
St. Catherine Hospital
in East Chicago, where
he was quickly diagnosed with a severe and
continuing-to-evolve
stroke. The staff there
administered tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), then contacted the
advanced stroke team at
Community Hospital so
that Artis could undergo
immediate lifesaving
treatment for his condition.
"Brainard had a large clot in his left
middle cerebral artery," says Jill Conner,
RN, MS, CNS, administrative director of Neuroscience, Cerebrovascular
and Structural Heart Services at
Community Hospital. "Strokes occurring in this artery are the most debilitating and have the highest mortality.
His life was on the line and every minute counted."

Stroke Center
Designation

Recently, Community Hospital joined
an elite group of hospitals in the country to be certified as Comprehensive
Stroke Centers by The Joint Commission
and the American Heart Association/
American Stroke Association. The certification recognizes hospitals for their
demonstrated expertise in offering
higher quality standards in the treatment
of patients who have suffered the most
severe types of stroke.
Less than 3 percent of the more
than 6,200 hospitals across the U.S.
have achieved this highly soughtafter certification.
"This designation is the nation's
highest level of stroke accreditation,
reserved for leading healthcare providers who are focused on state-of-the-art

Community Hospital has
earned Comprehensive
Stroke Center status from
The Joint Commission,
the American Heart
Association and the
American Stroke
Association.

comprehensive stroke
care," says Lou Molina,
hospital CEO. "This
higher level of care and
management allows
Community Hospital to
serve as the destination center for complex
stroke patients, including those arriving
at primary stroke centers across northern Indiana."
The Brain Attack Coalition defines a
comprehensive stroke center as a facility with the necessary personnel, technology, clinical training and programs
to diagnose and treat complex stroke
patients who require an elevated level
of medical and surgical care, specialized
tests or interventional therapies.
This elevated level of care is demonstrated by the center's ability to deliver
advanced, high-quality treatment for
patients including:
* 24/7 access to minimally invasive
catheter procedures to treat stroke
* a dedicated neuroscience intensive
care unit
* on-site neurosurgical availability
24/7 with the ability to perform complex
neuroendovascular procedures
*treatment for large ischemic, hemorrhagic and other complex strokes
"Community Healthcare System
teams understand the importance and
continue to strive for excellence in the
treatment and recovery of every stroke
patient who comes through our doors,"
says Don Fesko, president and CEO of
Community Foundation of Northwest
Indiana. "Community Hospital's certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center

further reinforces our commitment and
expertise in delivering stroke treatments
promptly and safely, and shows that we
are making a difference in the lives of
the patients we serve."

A Quick Response

The difference in Artis' life
was unmistakable.
On December 8, the ambulance
delivered Artis at Community Hospital.
Within 12 minutes he was in the hospital's specialized hybrid operating room,
where a neuroendovascular surgeon
began performing a cerebral thrombectomy procedure.
Thirty-three minutes later, the clot
was successfully removed and blood
flow was restored to his brain.
By December 21, Artis had recovered
and advanced enough through rehabilitation to return home.
On December 25, he celebrated
Christmas by watching family members
open the presents he bought on the day
of his stroke.
"I believe that God's plan was for
me to end up at Community Hospital
that day," Artis says. "And Community
Hospital was ready for me." ■

WEBSITE

Quality Care
for Strokes
For more information on
quality stroke care provided by the hospitals of
Community Healthcare System
and Community Hospital's
Comprehensive Stroke Center
designation, visit COMHS.org/
stroke.

FALL 2019

53
http://www.COMHS.org/stroke http://www.COMHS.org/stroke
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