Parma Community General Hospital’s stroke program has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ from the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers. Parma Hospital earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an unannounced on-site review in April.

“Parma Hospital demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients,” says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.

Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.

“We’re proud to achieve this distinction,” says Ali Saleh, M.D., director of Parma Hospital’s stroke program. “Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes Parma Hospital’s commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community.”

The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program—the nation’s first—in 2003. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.

About the Joint Commission: Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.