St. Charles earns stroke care award
St. Charles Health System earned a gold quality achievement award recently, for making big strides with patients who suffer from strokes.
The stroke program follows the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s core measures. Medical staff scored high on items from brain imaging scans, to patient evaluations and medication use.
In order to get a gold standard, the team has to score an 85 percent or higher over a period of two years.
“You know, it’s one thing to track the outcomes and how you’re doing, but we really like to look at, ‘Are we improving people’s lives?'” stroke coordinator Marsha Noone-Boyd said Wednesday. “And you know, I think we really are. And that’s what makes us really enthusiastic about this program.”
The team is teaching the public signs and symptoms of a stroke.
People should look for face and arm numbness or weakness, and speech difficulty. Doctors say if people experience any of the issues, they should not wait, but instead call 911 right away.
According to the American Heart Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious injury. The stroke program members at St. Charles say they hope to make a difference and improve care for anyone affected.
