Good Samaritan Hospital's Stroke Program certified as primary stroke center

Good Samaritan Hospital's Stroke Program has attained The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval^® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Heart-Check mark as a certified primary stroke center. The recognition means the Stroke Program has met The Joint Commission's standards for providing stroke care. Good Samaritan Hospital's Emergency Department also received designation from Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services as a receiving center for stroke patients.

Good Samaritan Hospital underwent a rigorous onsite review in December of 2014 when the Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and patient follow-up.

In addition to programmatic capabilities commensurate with a Primary Stroke Center, Good Samaritan Hospital is going further by establishing a neurointerventional program for stroke patients. The neurointerventional team will assist in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke patients, as well as the management of patients with hemorrhagic strokes due to ruptured aneurysms and other vascular malformations. This program will be staffed by skilled physicians from the USC/Keck School of Medicine as part of an overall neurosciences affiliation between the two hospitals. Depending on a patient's diagnosis, a neurointerventional procedure may be considered less invasive and more effective than more traditional modes of treatment. The neurointerventionalists will work as part of a team with neurologists and neurosurgeons at Good Samaritan Hospital to diagnose, treat, and coordinate rehabilitative care for stroke patients.

According to the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery, approximately 795,000 new or recurrent strokes are diagnosed each year in the United States, making it the number one cause of adult disability and the fourth leading cause of death in America. This equals to one stroke every 40 seconds and one death from stroke every 3 to 4 minutes. Americans will pay nearly $70 billion in 2009 for stroke-related medical costs and disability.