Twin Cities Community Hospital is a Newly Certified Primary Stroke Center

TEMPLETON, Calif. - Dec. 9, 2014 - PRLog -- The Joint Commission, in conjunction with The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, recently recognized Twin Cities Community Hospital (http://www.twincitieshospital.com) with Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The achievement signifies Twin Cities Community Hospital’s dedication to fostering better outcomes for stroke patients by meeting critical elements of performance.

  In order to qualify, Twin Cities underwent a rigorous on-site review in October 2014, following a year-long effort to meet Primary Stroke Center standards. A Joint Commission expert reviewed the hospital’s compliance with the requirements for The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification program as well as primary stroke center requirements, such as collecting Joint Commission core measure data and using it for performance improvement activities.

  According to the 2013 County Health Status Profiles produced by the California Department of Public Health, San Luis Obispo County had the highest rate of death caused by cerebrovascular disease in all of California with an age-adjusted average of 56.6 deaths per year as compared to the state average of 38.1. The CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/stroke) reports that stroke kills almost 130,000 Americans each year.

  “Considering the high incidence of this disease locally and nationally, Twin Cities Community Hospital has dedicated itself to providing the best possible care for stroke patients,” says Twin Cities CEO Mark Lisa. “As a certified Primary Stroke Center, we are now doing everything possible—offering the highest quality stroke care, based on the most current scientific research—to protect our community members from this deadly, yet preventable and treatable, disease.”

  Twin Cities will now be able to display The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association Heart-Check mark for their Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. Displaying the seal and Heart-Check mark signifies that Twin Cities is providing the “next generation of stroke or heart failure care,” and will help patients easily identify this facility as one of quality that has surpassed numerous goals in the treatment of stroke.

  "In achieving Joint Commission advanced certification, Twin Cities Community Hospitalhas demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its stroke patients,” says Michele Sacco, M.S., interim executive director, Certification Programs. “Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends the hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”

  Developed in collaboration with the American Stroke Association and launched in 2003, The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification program is based on the Brain Attack Coalition's "Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers." Certification is available only to stroke programs in Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals.

  For more information on The Joint Commission and American Heart Association’s Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Center visit www.jointcommission.org or www.heart.org/myhospital.

  For information about Twin Cities Community Hospital, please visit www.twincitieshospital.com or call Press Agency AR & Co. PR and Marketing at (805) 239-4443 or email pr@arandcompany.com.

About The Joint Commission:

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission (http://www.jointcommission.org/) seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 20,500 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including hospitals and health care organizations that provide ambulatory and office-based surgery, behavioral health, home care, laboratory and nursing home services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. The Joint Commission has two nonprofit affiliate organizations: The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare (http://www.centerfortransforminghealthcare.org/) aims to solve health care’s most critical safety and quality problems and Joint Commission Resources (http://www.jcrinc.com/) (JCR) provides consulting services, educational services and publications. Joint Commission International (http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/), a division of JCR, accredits and certifies international health care organizations. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

About the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association:

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.