Forsyth Among Elite Group of Hospitals Nationwide with Advanced Capabilities and Expertise to Treat Complex Cases
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Forsyth Medical Center is currently among 24 hospitals nationwide, and the first in the Triad, to earn the AdvancedComprehensive Stroke Center designation from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
"The surveyors looked at every aspect of our stroke program and earning this designation is like being among the Ivy League of stroke centers," said Chere Gregory, MD, director of neurosciences, Forsyth Medical Center.
"It means that we have the most advanced expertise and capabilities to treat the most complex cases," said Donald Heck, MD, interventional neuroradiologist and co-director of the Stroke Program. "Just as importantly, it means that every stroke patient receives a complete care plan to provide the best chance for recovery and prevention of future strokes."
In December 2012, The Joint Commission performed a rigorous onsite review of the hospital's stroke program. The Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center certification requirements that Forsyth Medical Center met or exceeded include having a rapid-response stroke treatment team, advanced imaging capabilities, 24-hour availability of specialized treatments, designated inpatient stroke care units staffed by qualified stroke caregivers, advanced training and education to treat the most complex stroke cases, and an integrated system for managing stroke patients.
"At Forsyth Medical Center, the vision to one day cure every curable stroke and prevent every preventable stroke led the efforts to be the first in the region with this designation," said Benjamin Anyanwu, MD, medical director of neuroscience intensive care unit and co-director of the Stroke Program.
Forsyth Medical Center, North Carolina’s first nationally certified Primary Stroke Care Center, treats more than 1,000 patients a year, the second largest number of stroke patients among hospitals in North Carolina. The hospital has a 10-bed neurointensive care unit, a 10-bed neuro-intermediate care unit and a 28-bed neurosciences unit. TheStroke Center team includes neurologists, neurointerventional radiologists, neurosurgeons, medical hospitalists, emergency medicine physicians and specially trained nurses. In addition, Forsyth Medical Center has neurohospitalists, a highly trained team of specialists, on staff in the stroke center 24 hours a day.
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