Patients treated at LLU Medical Center for stroke will receive collaborative care provided by physicians and nurses trained in a variety of specialties.
Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) was recently approved as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Joint Commission, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, making it the first hospital in the Inland Empire to earn this accreditation.
On April 18, the Medical Center announced it had received the Gold Seal of Approval® from the Joint Commission as well as the American Heart Association’s and American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. The designations mean LLUMC has attained the highest level of stroke care certification for hospitals that meet care standards for the most complex stroke cases on a 24/7 basis.
To do that, LLUMC had to demonstrate compliance with Primary Stroke Center standards as well as additional requirements including:
• Advanced imaging capabilities
• Advanced, specialized treatments available 24/7
• Advanced educational opportunities and competencies to enable staff members to care for complex stroke patients.
Vincent V. Truong, MD, director of the Loma Linda University Medical Center Comprehensive Stroke Center, says it represents a streamlined, interdisciplinary effort to rapidly recognize and treat stroke patients with the highest quality of care.
“When timing is critical, you want a stroke center that is prepared to deliver the most advanced, comprehensive stroke care,” Truong said. “Our recent designation proves we can do just that.”
The Stroke Center is an alliance of health professionals working toward the common goal of protecting and healing stroke patients from the time they have a stroke until the day they are discharged home and even beyond. Collaborative care is provided by physicians and nurses trained in each of the following specialties:
• Neurology
• Emergency medicine
• Neuro-critical care
• Endovascular and cerebrovascular neurosurgery
• Interventional neuroradiology
• Vascular surgery, and
• Neuro-rehabilitation.
In calling the multi-agency certification a testament to the organization’s commitment to the health of the community, Lyndon Edwards, MBA, MHS, senior vice president of adult hospital services, said LLUMC is committed to “providing quick, innovative, compassionate care from the minute patients arrive.”
Additional information on the Stroke Center is available online at lomalindastroke.org or by phone at 909-558-2880.
—additional reporting by James Ponder