Daughters of Charity Health System Hospitals Nationally Recognized for Stroke Care

LOS ALTOS HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Daughters of Charity Health System hospitals are leading the way in stroke care. Seton Medical Center in Daly City, CA and O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, CA, each received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, CA has been approved for the Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement award.

The awards recognize the hospitals for their commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

O'Connor Hospital also qualified for recognition on the Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll and Seton qualified on the Target: Stroke Honor Roll. O'Connor Hospital, Seton Medical Center and St. Francis Medical Center, in addition to Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, CA are also recognized as Primary Stroke Centers by The Joint Commission, which means the hospitals have a system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to their respective emergency departments.

"This award demonstrates our commitment to ensuring patients receive care based on nationally-respected clinical guidelines," said Joanne Allen, president and CEO of Seton Medical Center. "At Seton, we are dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care and the American Heart Association/American Stroke recognition helps us achieve that goal. I'm very proud of our staff and physicians, who provide care that is consistent and compassionate."

To receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures.

To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient's arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. "Our greatest reward is serving our patients with compassionate care," said Sr. Margaret Keaveney, DC, president and CEO of O'Connor Hospital. "Receiving a national honor for providing excellent patient care is the best recognition a hospital can receive. Thank you to our wonderful physicians and caregivers who turn treatment guidelines into lifelines."

St. Francis Medical Center initiated its stroke program in November 2013 and received Joint Commission certification as a Primary Stroke Center in July 2014, followed by designation as an Approved Stroke Center by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Bronze Quality Achievement award. Gerald Kozai, Pharm.D., president and CEO of St. Francis Medical Center, stated, "This year's Silver award reflects the hard work and ongoing commitment of our entire Stroke Care Team -- from the first responders to our doctors, nurses, and specialists. Together we're preserving life and quality of life for patients and families."

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 Daughters of Charity Health System

Daughters of Charity Health System (DCHS) is a regional health system spanning the California coast from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles. Our organization includes: Seton Medical Center, Daly City; Seton Coastside, Moss Beach; O'Connor Hospital, San Jose; Saint Louise Regional Hospital, Gilroy; St. Vincent Medical Center, Los Angeles; St. Francis Medical Center, Lynwood; and the DCHS Medical Foundation based in San Jose. DCHS was formed in 2002 in response to the health care needs of the people of California. Every day, more than 8,000 associates and physicians serve patients and their loved ones, providing quality, compassionate care – body, mind and spirit. For more information, visit www.dochs.org.

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