Located in Henrico County’s near West End, St. Mary’s Hospital is one
of the Richmond region’s busiest hospitals. Its emergency department — ranked in the top ten percent of America’s hospitals for emergency care — sees approximately 48,000 patients annually. Specialty practice areas include a nationally-recognized joint- replacement center and orthopedics; cardiac care with 24-hour cardiac catheterization labs; pediatrics and a technologically-advanced neonatal intensive care unit; an award-winning Cancer Care Center; comprehensive women’s services; and general surgery. For
30 years, its Cancer Care Center has received continuous approval from the American College of Surgeons.
Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ as a Primary Stroke Center from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) after a thorough on-site review. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standard setting and accrediting body in healthcare.
JCAHO’s Certificate of Distinction for Primary Stroke Centers recognizes centers that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care.
“This accreditation as a Primary Stroke Center spotlights the already high quality of stroke care and services that our physicians and staff at St. Mary’s Hospital provide to our patients,” says Michael K. Kerner, executive vice president and administrator, Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital. “This distinction is a tribute to the excellent care provided to stroke patients and the support to their families by our physicians, nurses and staff.”
Before receiving the Primary Stroke Center designation, St. Mary’s stroke care program was evaluated on its emergency medical services, a 24-hour emergency department, its acute stroke unit, radiology and imaging, medical services, rehabilitation and laboratory services. St. Mary’s also was evaluated on its medical leadership, including its Stroke Medical Director and its Program Coordi-nator, and its ability to provide comprehensive data, quality and process indicators, ongoing performance improvement activities, and ongoing community and professional education. JCAHO also cited St. Mary’s for its application of current research and designing a stroke care program with a fully interdisciplinary team engaged in the care of all acute stroke patients.
According to Tim Shephard, PhD, CNS, the Stroke Program Coordinator at St. Mary’s, “The level of training for stroke center staff at St. Mary’s exceeds the standards set by the Joint Commission. Our system of stroke care is based on the most recent medical evidence, leading to the best possible outcomes for our patients, and it is rewarding to have these efforts validated by the Joint Commission.” To maintain its accreditation as a Primary Stroke Center, St. Mary’s must submit quality and performance data every year and undergo an on-site survey at least every two years.
