All Scripps Hospitals Recognized for Excellent Stroke Care

All five Scripps Health hospital campuses – Scripps Mercy San Diego, Scripps Mercy Chula Vista, Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and Scripps Green Hospital – have earned the Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for delivering high-quality, life-saving stroke care, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association announced recently.

The awards, which are part of the AHA/ASA’s Get With The Guidelines stroke program, recognize hospitals across the United States that consistently comply with patient management quality measures that are embedded in the program.

“Timely, high-quality care is essential for saving lives and minimizing disability from stroke,” said Mary Kalafut, MD, a Scripps Health stroke director and vascular neurologist. “These awards confirm that patients receive top-level stroke care from an integrated teams of physicians, nurses, technicians and staff members when they arrive at any of Scripps’ hospitals.”

To win the gold awards, each Scripps hospital consistently achieved a series of AHA/ASA program performance measures for 24 or more consecutive months.

Additionally, all four Scripps hospital campuses with emergency rooms – Scripps Memorial La Jolla, Scripps Memorial Encinitas, Scripps Mercy San Diego and Scripps Mercy Chula Vista – were named to the AHA/ASA’s Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll, which recognizes hospitals that deliver thrombolytic therapy (a medication called intravenous tissue plasminogen activator) to eligible patients within one hour of hospital arrival at least 75 percent of the time. 

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is cut off due to a blocked or ruptured vessel, killing brain cells and potentially causing disability or death. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and about 795,000 people have a stroke each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Scripps has long been a leader in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients who suffer a stroke.

Scripps Memorial La Jolla was among the first U.S. hospitals to earn the prestigious Comprehensive Stroke Center designation by The Joint Commission and AHA/ASA in 2012. The designation recognizes the highly-specialized stroke care available at the hospital, which includes advanced imaging capabilities, the availability of round-the-clock specialized treatments, and a staff that employs the highest levels of education and skill in the care of complex stroke patients.

Additionally, Scripps Memorial Encinitas, Scripps Mercy San Diego and Scripps Mercy Chula Vista are certified by The Joint Commission and AHA/ASA as Primary Stroke Centers for demonstrating their compliance with the organizations’ stroke-related standards and requirements.

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