MOON TWP. -- Targeting one of the nations most unrelenting health issues, Heritage Valley Health Systems has extended its stroke treatment and prevention wingspan significantly in the past six weeks.
In July, Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley hospitals were certified as primary stroke centers by the Joint Commission, a national organization that provides accreditation in various medical areas.
The designation, according to Dr. John Cinicola, chief medical officer, means that Heritage Valley facilities are capable of providing the same stroke response as any of the nations largest hospitals.
Its like you are living next door to any of the larger hospitals, Cinicola said.
The designation will reduce response times for area residents suffering from stroke symptoms.
Prior to this certification, local (emergency) services frequently bypassed Heritage Valley Sewickley and Heritage Valley Beaver to bring local patients displaying these symptoms to other hospitals that have the primary stroke center designation, said Linda Homyk, vice president and chief nursing officer for Heritage Valley Sewickley. Achieving this status now means that our community-based patients dont need to travel for care.
In August, Heritage Valley also began offering a four-part screening opportunity that will identify high-risk stroke factors. The process takes less than an hour.
Cinicola said the screening process is targeted at males as young as 40, females as young as 50, and anyone with smoking, weight, high blood pressure and diabetes challenges.
When this kind of screening is in place, statistics show that the frequency of stroke goes down pretty drastically, Cinicola said.
According to the American Stroke Association, strokes are the No. 4 cause of death in the United States, and a stroke occurs every 40 seconds in the nation.
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Heritage Valley accelerates stroke coverage