The Neuroscience Institute at Memorial Regional Hospital has achieved two designations for its excellence in treatment and care of stroke patients, and for promoting a streamlined approach aimed to achieve consistently positive outcomes for stroke patients from their time of arrival in the emergency room.

For the 6th year in a row, Memorial Regional Hospital’s multidisciplinary stroke team has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) Get With The Guidelines®- Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award. In addition to this recognition, the Neuroscience Institute has received the highest level of designation known as the Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus Award.

To achieve the Stroke Gold Plus Award, hospitals must reach a goal of treating stroke patients with 85 percent or higher compliance with all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Achievement Measures for two or more consecutive years. They must have also attained 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight of the program’s quality measures.

For recognition as a Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus hospital, Memorial Regional has met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center. The Target Stroke initiative promotes the development of an optimized system for rapid diagnosis and delivery of time-sensitive treatments in patients suffering an acute stroke. The ASA recommends patients be treated with the clot-busting medication IV tPA within 60 minutes from time of arrival in the emergency room, known as door-to-needle time, to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. To be granted Elite Plus status, door-to needle time must be less than 60 minutes for at least 75% of eligible stroke patients and less than 45 minutes for 50% or more patients. Memorial Regional Hospital has met and exceeded the criteria over the past year.

“When it comes to treating stroke, ‘time is brain,’” says Brijesh P. Mehta, MD, Medical Director, Stroke and Neurocritical Care, Memorial Neuroscience Institute. “Our endovascular stroke program and the parallel system of care make Memorial Neuroscience Institute one of the best stroke centers in the country – treating some of highest volumes of patients, with continually improving outcomes, and participating in ongoing landmark research studies to further strengthen our commitment to the field.”

"With this designation Memorial Regional Hospital has been recognized as a national leader in emergency stroke care,” said Randy S. Katz, D.O., Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, Memorial Regional Hospital. “Our multidisciplinary approach and continuous focus on process improvement have given our stroke patients some of the best outcomes in the country."

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. 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.

About the Neuroscience Institute at Memorial Regional Hospital

The Neuroscience Institute at Memorial Regional Hospital is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of neurological disorders and injuries in adults and children. Its team of physicians – including specialists in neurology services, neurosurgery, and interventional neuroradiology – uses advanced technology and innovative procedures in the effort to effectively treat chronic and acute neurological disorders. Assessment testing, rehabilitative therapies, social services and other support services also are available to assist patients with acute illness or injury. Aside from its location at Memorial Regional Hospital, there is an additional office at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Memorial Healthcare System is the third-largest public healthcare system in the country. It is a national leader in quality care and patient satisfaction and is ranked on Modern Healthcare magazine’s list of Best Places to Work in Healthcare. Its facilities include Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Regional Hospital South, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Memorial Hospital West, Memorial Hospital Miramar, Memorial Hospital Pembroke and Memorial Manor nursing home.