Baptist Health La Grange awarded Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers

December 03, 2018

Baptist Health La Grange announced that it has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers.  

Baptist Health La Grange announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.  

“We are so proud to announce our re-certification as a Primary Stroke Center to our patients and community,” said Clint Kaho, Baptist Health La Grange president.  “Baptist Health La Grange is dedicated to providing lifesaving stroke care around the clock in our own community. The Joint Commission’s certification is a vote of confidence that we are meeting and exceeding the national standard for stroke treatment.”

The hospital underwent a rigorous onsite review in October 2018 with Joint Commission experts evaluating the components of the hospital’s stroke care for compliancy with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.  

Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (JAMA, 2000) and the "Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011).

Stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.