Alton Memorial Hospital's Journey to a Certified Stroke Center

As we continue our journey to becoming a Certified Stroke Center it is our objective to keep you updated regarding the development of the process. As of today, AMH has created and implemented a stroke protocol for the ED and we are moving forward with developing an inpatient stroke protocol. In addition, we created and implemented a dysphagia screen, which is to be completed on all patients admitted with a stroke or TIA prior to any PO intake. The AMH Stroke Team has also implemented a "Neuro Team" code and created a new stroke admission order set, which includes inclusion/exclusion criteria for TPA administration.

AMH is proud to announce that the turnaround time for the stroke interventions have significantly decreased. Thanks to the effort of many AMH physicians and staff, the July 2011 score was 100% compliant with the Joint Commission standards.