Mercy Health – Cincinnati’s hospitals and medical centers have earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval®, the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark and advanced certifications for stroke care.

“Mercy Health’s stroke care teams are honored that the Joint Commission has recognized each of our Cincinnati-area hospitals and medical centers for their dedication to helping patients have the best possible chance of survival after a stroke,” said Mercy Health – Cincinnati President Dave Fikse. “We put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for stroke patients.”

The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health earned Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center recertification by meeting rigorous standards for performing endovascular thrombectomy and providing post-procedural care.

Anderson Hospital, Fairfield Hospital and West Hospital earned recertification as Primary Stroke Centers for the exceptional efforts they make to foster better patient outcomes by meeting the unique and specialized needs of stroke patients.

Clermont Hospital, Rookwood Medical Center and Mt. Orab Medical Center earned Acute Stroke Ready recertifications. Harrison Medical Center and Queen City Medical Center both have earned Acute Stroke Ready certifications and will be resurveyed by June of this year. This certification recognizes hospitals equipped to treat stroke patients with timely, evidence-based care prior to transferring them to a primary or comprehensive stroke center.

“Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center, Primary Stroke Center and Acute Stroke Ready Certification recognizes health care organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Mercy Health for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for stroke patients.”

“We congratulate Mercy Health for this outstanding achievement,” says Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Stroke Association. “These certifications reflect its commitment to providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients.”

According to the American Health 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.

For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website at jointcommission.org.