Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers.
“We’re proud to achieve the distinction of becoming a Primary Stroke Center,” said Greg Haralson, CEO of Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital and Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. “This certification recognizes our commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community.”
The hospital earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an on-site review in November. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year more than 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s fourth leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 4 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.
The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program—the nation’s first—in 2003. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.