Springfield Memorial Hospital earns highest stroke care designation

Simmy Wood
·1 min read

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Springfield Memorial Hospital is one of 18 Illinois hospitals to receive a Comprehensive Stroke Center designation — the nation’s highest stroke care accreditation.

The designation comes from nonprofit organization The Joint Commission. To achieve Comprehensive Stroke Center status, a hospital must have the infrastructure, staff and training resources to provide top-notch stroke care, as well as a 24/7 neuro-intensive care unit for complex stroke patients, and advanced imaging capabilities.

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This is not the first time that Springfield Memorial Hospital has been accredited as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. They first earned the designation in 2015. The hospital’s stroke team includes board-certified physicians and surgeons from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, clinical radiologists, Mid-America Emergency Physicians and Springfield Clinic, and an inter-disciplinary variety of health care professionals.

“When treating stroke, every second counts,” said Dr. Sajjad Mueed, SIU stroke neurologist and Medical Director of SMH’s Comprehensive Stroke Center. “We are committed to providing the highest level of care for stroke, from the moment a patient first enters the Emergency Department until they complete rehabilitation.”

Memorial Health’s five Central Illinois hospitals have all earned stroke care designations. Decatur Memorial Hospital is designated as a primary stroke center. The Illinois Department of Public Health also designated Jacksonville, Lincoln, and Taylorville Memorial Hospitals as Acute Stroke-Ready hospitals.

“According to the CDC, every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke,” said Jennifer Rebbe, Memorial Health’s Director of Neurosciences. “We’re proud to be able to offer high-quality stroke care across the region so we can be there whenever and wherever people need us.”

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