UConn Health has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark
for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.
UConn Health underwent a rigorous onsite review in December. The Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, delivery of clinical care, and performance improvement.
“UConn Health has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers,” said Michele Sacco, interim executive director, Certification Programs. “We commend UConn Health for becoming a leader in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community.”
“We congratulate UConn Health for achieving this designation,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines, UConn has clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”
“We’re pleased to receive advanced certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” said Dr. Sanjay Mittal, director of the Stroke Program at UConn Health. “The certification provides us with the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide as well as to continually strive to advance our care even further.”
Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (JAMA, 2000) and the “Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011).
Stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. 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.