Swedish Medical Center announced that the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has designated three of its campuses – Ballard, First Hill and Cherry Hill – to provide stroke care.

The Washington State DOH Emergency Cardiac and Stroke system was created to provide a statewide designation program that recognizes the level of stroke care capabilities available to stroke patients in medical facilities across the state. The Swedish Stroke System of Care has been certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center since 2004.

Swedish/Ballard was designated as a Level III designation with infrastructure and ability to provide acute thrombolytic rescue therapy for stroke patients.

Swedish/Cherry Hill received a Level I designation, making it one of only four hospital campuses in King County to provide comprehensive stroke care – including acute thrombolytic interventions to break clots down and restore circulation, advanced diagnostic imaging to identify a blocked artery, and catheter-based interventions to re-open arteries.

In addition, Swedish/Cherry Hill is engaged in clinical research utilizing advanced diagnostic imaging and offering novel therapies for acute stroke patients.

“This is a wonderful recognition of the high level of care provided by the physicians and advanced care specialists in the Swedish system and at the Cherry Hill campus,” said William Likosky, M.D., medical director of the Stroke Program at Swedish’s Neuroscience Institute. “In the case of stroke, minutes count in preventing long-term neurological damages."

The Swedish Stroke System of Care has partnered with multiple hospitals throughout Washington state providing level I services for patients needing tertiary care. Additionally, Swedish embraces telemedicine technology to augment local care-delivery systems for acute stroke rescue therapy allowing patients local emergent access to stroke specialists. This is vital to assure optimal outcomes for patients in a diagnosis where by seconds count and ‘time is brain.’ As a reminder, if you or someone you know shows signs of a stroke, act FAST (F = facial weakness, A = arm or leg weakness, S = speech changes – slurred or sound strange, T = time is brain) and call 911 immediately.

For more information, visit http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/hdsp/ and http://www.doh.wa.gov/Publicat/2011_news/11-115.htm.