The designation recognizes a hospital’s commitment to a higher standard of clinical service and the establishment of a consistent approach to quality care.
If a patient begins to display symptoms of a stroke, which include face drooping, arm weakness and speech difficulty, a stroke alert is called. The signal triggers the hospital’s treatment process, a critical step to minimize potential brain damage or other complications.
Since Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital’s stroke program began in May 2022, the hospital documented 236 stroke alerts and cared for 43 stroke patients.
“In a diagnosis where time is of the essence, I can think of no greater importance than this achievement to bringing stroke care to the city of St. Cloud,” said Jessica Reid, RN, Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital chief nursing officer. “Our goal is to improve the outcomes for these patients by reducing the distance they must travel to receive care.”
Accreditation by The Joint Commission is one of the highest levels of certification that a hospital can receive. To date, Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital is the sixth hospital in the Orlando Health system to be certified as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center.
The facility joins Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital, Orlando Health South Lake Hospital and Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital.
“With the achievement of Primary Stroke Certification, led by our stroke coordinator Alison Bass, patients in the St. Cloud community can be confident they will receive safe and efficient care when having a stroke or stroke-like symptoms,” said Cindy Lavigne, manager, quality process improvement & patient safety, Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital.
Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $8.1 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States.
The 3,238-bed system includes 23 hospitals and emergency departments – 18 of which are currently operational with five coming soon.
In FY22, Orlando Health served nearly 142,000 inpatients and 3.9 million outpatients. The healthcare system provided more than $782 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more in FY 21.
