Stroke Center
When A Stroke Occurs, Every Minute Counts, And You're Just Minutes Away From Expert Care At Lakeland Regional Medical Center
Early treatment is extremely important in the event of a stroke, minimizing damage to brain tissue and improving the patient's prognosis. That's why it's comforting to know that in our area, you're just minutes away from LRMC's Stroke Center, available to stroke victims twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Led by Dr. Carlos Villar, Stroke Program Director, and Dorothy Adair, ARNP, Program Coordinator, we are staffed with a multidisciplinary team including emergency department physicians, neurologists, interventional radiologists, intensivists and hospitalists.
Our Dedicated Stroke Unit team includes rehabilitation specialists, and nurses specially trained in cerebrovascular disease.
Lakeland Regional's Stroke Center is the only stroke program in the area with advanced technology to treat strokes beyond three hours. We were the first to use interventional devices such as carotid stenting, and clot removal devices for acute stroke.
Risk factors for stroke include: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, TIA's (transient ischemic attacks), carotid disease, smoking, excessive alcohol intake and obesity. If you're at risk for stroke, you couldn't be in the vicinity of a better stroke care unit than what you'll find at Lakeland Regional Medical Center.
Lakeland Regional Medical Center's Stroke Care Program Awarded Certification From the Joint Commission
Lakeland Regional Medical Center has earned the Gold Seal of Approvaltm from the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers. LRMC earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an unannounced on-site review in April 2008.
"Lakeland Regional Medical Center demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients," says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.
Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation's third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.
"We're proud to achieve the distinction," says Carlos Villar, MD, Neurology, Watson Clinic LLP, Director of the Stroke Center at LRMC. "Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes LRMC's commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community." Dr. Villar has also recently taken and passed the Board exam for Vascular Neurology.
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.
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more then 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, the Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about the Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
Warning Signs of Stroke
- Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
