Aspirus Ironwood Hospital earns honors for quality of stroke patient care

This is the whole problem in stroke enumerated in one word; 'care'; NOT RECOVERY!

YOU have to get involved and change this failure mindset of 'care' to 100% RECOVERY! Survivors want RECOVERY, NOT 'CARE'!

ASK SURVIVORS WHAT THEY WANT, THEY'LL NEVER RESPOND 'CARE'! This tyranny of low expectations has to be completely rooted out of any stroke conversation!

RECOVERY IS THE ONLY GOAL IN STROKE! GET THERE!

Aspirus Ironwood Hospital earns honors for quality of stroke patient care

IRONWOOD, Mich. (WBUP/WJMN) — The Aspirus Ironwood Hospital has earned a high-level certification for readiness in the case of an acute stroke after rigorous on-site review.

This is The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval and the American Stroke Association's (ASA) Heart-Check Mark for Acute Stroke Ready Certification. 

Review of the hospital was held in July. During the visit, a team of joint commission reviewers conducted observations and interviews, evaluating the hospital's compliance with related certifications standards including program management, process for delivering clinical care and performance improvement. 

“Acute Stroke Ready Certification recognizes a health care organization committed to striving for excellence and fostering continuous improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” said Ken Grubbs, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer with The Joint Commission.

“We commend Aspirus Ironwood Hospital for using The Joint Commission certification process to reduce variation in clinical processes and to strengthen its clinical program to drive safer, higher quality, and more compassionate care for individuals served," Grubbs added.

CEO of ASA Nancy Brown congratulated the hospital for the "outstanding achievement." 

"This certification reflects the hospital’s commitment to providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients," Brown said. 

"Achieving Acute Stroke Ready Certification is a remarkable accomplishment," said Julie Monville, director of nursing for Aspirus Health. "I am incredibly proud of our dedicated team of staff and physicians who work tirelessly to deliver lifesaving education and treatment to our community. Our Stroke Team remains committed to educating both our patients and the public on stroke recognition, as well as providing timely, evidence-based stroke care in accordance with best practices and guidelines."

The hospital's chief administrative officer, Rae Kaare, called the certification a "significant milestone" for Aspirus Health. 

Aspirus Health encourages everyone to use BE FAST to recognize the signs of a stroke:

• Balance; sudden loss of coordination
• Eyes; sudden change in vision
• Face; sudden weakness on one side or facial droop
• Arm; sudden arm or leg numbness or weakness
• Speech; sudden slurred speech
• Terrible Headache or Time to call 9-1-1