After undergoing an on-site evaluation and demonstrating compliance with nationally developed standards for stroke care, Sutter Davis Hospital received certification from The Joint Commission as an advanced primary stroke center.

The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies hospitals across the United States to provide acute stroke treatment, reviewed and evaluated Sutter Davis Hospital’s stroke program and determined that it qualified as a center of excellence for stroke service.

“Research has shown that having an advanced primary stroke center in a community helps reduce morbidity, mortality and disability related to stroke, and this is mostly due to the increased awareness in the community and the consistency of quality care at the Primary Stroke Centers,” said Dr. Deven Merchant, medical director of the emergency department at Sutter Davis Hospital, in a news release. “When it comes to a stroke, time is critical. The sooner patients can receive the right care, the better it will be for them.”

Sutter Davis is the fourth Sutter Neuroscience Institute stroke program in the Sacramento region to receive this certification. Sutter Davis and Sutter hospitals in Sacramento, Roseville and Auburn will share resources, standardize care and work together in order to ensure that anyone who comes to the hospitals with stroke symptoms will receive the correct, quickest care for the best possible outcome, the news release said.

“Having hospitals in a health system that are all primary stroke centers helps standardize stroke care and bring awareness to the staff and community in order to improve outcomes,” said Dr. Asim Mahmood, regional medical director of stroke services for the Sutter Neuroscience Institute. “In addition, multiple facilities that are connected and taking similar care of patients are attractive sites for clinical research, which is another service to local communities.”

Part of the mission of advanced primary stroke centers is to educate the public on how to recognize stroke symptoms and to get to a certified hospital immediately by calling 911. One of the most effective treatments for a stroke is the clot-busting medication called tissue plasminogen activator, commonly referred to as tPA, but it has to be administered within three hours of the onset of stroke.

“Our goal is to educate the public on the importance of receiving the proper care in a timely manner,” said Janet Wagner, CEO of Sutter Davis Hospital.

The Sutter Neuroscience Institute has the most comprehensive stroke program in the region, with three board-certified stroke neurologists, specialized neurointerventionalists and neurosurgeons, and neuroradiology imaging technology. In addition, the Sutter Rehabilitation Center on the Sutter Roseville campus has built a reputation in just three years as being the premier center for stroke rehab in the region. For more information on the stroke programs and other neurology specialties, go to www.sutterneuro.org.

Sutter Davis Hospital, part of Sutter Health’s network of care, offers the best of all worlds — a technologically advanced acute-care hospital, a strong offering of outpatient services and community outreach programs. The 48-bed hospital and its programs provide care and support to the residents of Davis, Dixon, Winters, Woodland, West Sacramento, Vacaville and rural communities throughout Yolo and eastern Solano counties. For more on the hospital, visit www.sutterdavis.org.

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