Glencoe MN hospital receives acute stroke ready designation

Completely and totally worthless. Nothing here tells you whether the RESULTS obtained are better than other hospitals.
http://www.crowrivermedia.com/big_fish_lifestyle/health/article_de028f26-23c1-5ad1-b245-b80718900733.html

Glencoe Regional Health Services has been designated an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital by the Minnesota Department of Health. This designation certifies that GRHS is equipped to evaluate, stabilize and provide life-saving emergency care to patients with acute stroke symptoms.
“We are very proud of our ability to confirm a stroke diagnosis and start treatment with clot-busting medication in under an hour,” said Mitch Palmer, MD, GRHS emergency services medical director. “Every minute counts when you are trying to preserve brain cells.”
A stroke is a “brain attack.” It happens when the blood flowing to an area of the brain is cut off, usually due to a blocked blood vessel but sometimes due to a ruptured blood vessel. When blood flow is cut off, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. Abilities that are controlled by the affected area of the brain — such as memory, speech or muscle control — may be lost. Therefore, rapid diagnosis and treatment of a stroke is critical.
According to the National Stroke Association, strokes are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and the number-one cause of adult disability. In 2011, strokes caused 11,570 hospitalizations and 2,244 deaths in Minnesota, making stroke the state’s third-leading cause of death that year.
GRHS Stroke Ready Designation 2-2-2
In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature gave authority to MDH to designate hospitals according to national standards for stroke centers. There are three designation levels: Comprehensive Stroke Center, Primary Stroke Center and Acute Stroke Ready Hospital. As of Jan. 1, Minnesota has two Comprehensive Stroke Centers and 18 Primary Stroke Centers. According to MDH, more than a third of Minnesota’s population lives more than an hour from a Primary Stroke Center, and nearly one in three Minnesota stroke victims receives initial treatment at a small, rural hospital like GRHS.
“GRHS has had all of the staff, equipment, processes and standards required for the Acute Stroke Ready Hospital designation in place for nearly a decade,” said GRHS President and CEO Jon D. Braband. “This is a case of the state’s standards catching up with us.”
To achieve the Acute Stroke Ready Hospital designation, GRHS demonstrated that it meets the following criteria:

• Acute stroke team available 24/7
• Written protocol for stroke triage and diagnosis
• Written plan for triage and transport by an emergency medical services provider
• Emergency department personnel trained in stroke diagnosis and treatment
• Lab, EKG and chest X-ray services available 24/7
• CT imaging and interpretation available 24/7
• Written emergency stroke treatment protocol
• Neurosurgery coverage plan
• Transfer protocol for stroke patients
• Designated medical director with experience and expertise in acute stroke care
• Telestroke program saves precious time

One of the ways that GRHS meets the Acute Stroke Ready Hospital designation criteria is through its participation in the Allina Health telestroke program. This program enables a neurologist at United Hospital in St. Paul to use videoconferencing technology to examine a patient with stroke symptoms at the ER in Glencoe. With access to an “on-demand” neurology consultation and a confirmed diagnosis, the GRHS ER team can quickly develop a care plan and administer clot-busting medications before a critical treatment time window passes.
GRHS Stroke Ready Designation 3-3-3
“This program saves time that might otherwise be spent transporting a patient with stroke symptoms to the Twin Cities for diagnosis,” Palmer said. “When treatment begins here in Glencoe, the patient has a better chance to not only survive but also to experience fewer long-term side effects.”