Stroke Services

Caritas Carney Hospital is a Designated Primary Stroke Service Provider
Provides round-the-clock Emergency, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Servicesto Patients with Acute Stroke Symptoms

As a designated provider of primary stroke service through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Caritas Carney Hospital assures definitive care to patients experiencing acute stroke symptoms. The designation signifies that Caritas Carney Hospital meets requirements to provide emergency diagnostic and therapeutic services to patients with acute stroke symptoms 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Caritas Carney Hospital was first approved by the Massachusetts DPH as a primary stroke service provider on February 9, 2005.

Each year, approximately 700,000 people suffer a stroke, making it the third leading cause of death in America and the number one cause of adult disability. When someone first shows symptoms of stroke, it is imperative that they seek emergency treatment immediately.

As a designated primary stroke service provider, emergency medical services (EMS) community can transport patients to Caritas Carney Hospital for evaluation and treatment. DPH surveyors evaluated CCH’s ability to do the following:

• Streamline communication with EMS personnel;
• Provide diagnostic CT scan exams and perform and evaluate chest x-rays, EKGs, and lab tests within accepted time targets; and,
• Provide around-the-clock availability of neurologists.

Caritas Carney Hospital has also implemented performance improvement initiatives and education of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and EMS personnel

Caritas Carney Hospital receives American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Silver Performance Achievement Award

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the GWTG–Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award addresses the important element of time,” said Gregory McSweeney, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Caritas Carney. The hospital has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

To receive the GWTG-Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award, Caritas Carney consistently complied for at least one year with the requirements in the GWTG–Stroke program. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. This twelve-month evaluation period is the second in an ongoing self-evaluation by the hospital to continually reach the 85 percent compliance level needed to sustain this award.

“The American Stroke Association commends Carney Hospital for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national Get With the Guidelines Steering Committee Member and director of acute stroke services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients.”

GWTG–Stroke uses the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a patient has had a stroke, when they are most likely to listen to and follow their healthcare professionals’ guidance. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke. Through GWTG–Stroke, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge, based on patients’ individual risk profiles. The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and are available in English and Spanish. In addition, the GWTG Patient Management Tool provides access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point of care.

“The time is right for Caritas Carney to be focused on improving the quality of stroke care by implementing GWTG–Stroke. The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population,” said Dr. McSweeney.
According to the American Stroke Association, each year approximately 700,000 people suffer a stroke — 500,000 are first attacks and 200,000 are recurrent. Of stroke survivors, 21 percent of men and 24 percent of women die within a year, and for those aged 65 and older, the percentage is even higher.