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Hoag Hospital designated as one of Six Stroke Neurology Receiving Centers in OC
Orange County Emergency Medical Services will now transport local stroke patients to one of six designated comprehensive stroke centers
April 17, 2009 - Newport Beach, CA: The Orange County Health Care Agency announced the launch of a ground-breaking Stroke-Neurology Receiving Center (SNRC) program. Much like the successful Trauma and Cardiac Receiving Centers, Stroke-Neurology Receiving Center hospitals will offer highly trained medical experts and leading edge technologies, setting a new standard of care for stroke patients.
Recent medical research shows that certain stroke treatments result in better outcomes for stroke victims. These treatment methods require early identification of stroke and immediate care by stroke experts. “For the Stroke-Neurology Program to be effective, time to treatment must be minimal and expert medical care must always be available,” said Dr. Samuel Stratton, Medical Director of the Health Care Agency’s Emergency Medical Services division.
The Health Care Agency worked with a coalition of stroke advocates to develop SNRC criteria with an emphasis on quality of care, patient safety and 24-hour availability of Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Radiologists, Nurses and Emergency Medicine physicians who are expert in managing stroke patients. These professionals will use specialized neurological techniques that have been shown to provide the best outcomes for stroke patients. “Bringing patients to a hospital that specializes in treating acute stroke will provide a tremendous advantage in surviving and limiting stroke effects,” said Dr. Stratton.
Six hospitals in Orange County have currently been designated as SNRC facilities. The Health Care Agency anticipates the designation of additional hospitals in the near future. The six hospitals designated in the initial phase include:
Fountain Valley Regional Medical Center
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Mission Hospital and Medical Center
St. Joseph Hospital of Orange
University of California, Irvine Medical Center
Western Medical Center – Santa Ana
“Given the growing number of patients afflicted with stroke, and the fact that stroke remains the number one cause of disability in the United States, new approaches to triage and management of stroke patients are essential,” explains David Brown, M.D., medical director of Hoag’s Stroke Program.
SNRC designation exceeds the criteria of the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers, which Hoag is also designated, by requiring the 24/7 presence of neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists, meeting comprehensive reporting standards, as well as providing advanced diagnostic imaging and rehabilitation capabilities.
“Prior to this new EMS system, the level of care stroke patients would receive varied vastly from hospital to hospital,” comments Dr. Brown. “With the new OC EMS system in place, stroke specialists across Orange County are working together to bring world-class practice to the rest of the county.”
About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian is a 498-bed, not-for-profit, acute care hospital located in Newport Beach, Calif. Fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Hoag offers a comprehensive mix of health care services, including Centers of Excellence in cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, orthopedics and women’s health. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 13 consecutive years. And for an unprecedented 13 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey. In order to meet the growing needs of Irvine and South County residents, Hoag will open an Irvine campus in 2010. Hoag continues to offer additional services to the community through the seven Hoag Health Centers located throughout Orange County.
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