provided by BAYCARE
Bartow, Fla. – Since its creation in 2020, Bartow Regional Medical Center’s stroke program has been making strides in providing emergent care to patients.
The program is starting 2024 with a designation by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), an international organization that evaluates hospital stroke programs, as a Primary Stroke
Center.
To earn the certification, the hospital submitted its suspected stroke cases and their outcomes to the DNV for review. Being a primary stroke center means the hospital
can manage a full range of stroke-related issues.
“Many of these patients received time-sensitive lifesaving emergent treatment,” said Laura Moore, the nurse manager of the Polk stroke program. “The recognition from
DNV is a signal to the community that we serve that we have the resources, experience, and commitment to provide them with the best possible care.”
The acknowledgment is in addition to BRMC naming its first stroke-certified nurse. Steven Dewbrew earned that certification in late 2023.
Moore attributes the program’s rapid success to the strong partnership between our team and TeleSpecialists, the teleneurology physician group providing stroke assessments.
“We have made a major improvement in our door-to-treatment times and we know that timely intervention is so important in stroke cases,” Moore said. Stroke affects
blood flow to the brain, can lead to long-term health issues, and is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
“Another major contributor to the new certification,” Moore said, “was collaboration between several departments.”
In recognition of this, Moore and other hospital leaders rounded around the hospital recently to thank as many team members in person as possible.
“So many departments touch our stroke program, from our emergency room to our ICU and inpatient care teams, to our radiology and rehab teams,” Moore said.
“Achieving this milestone was a team effort, and called for a team celebration.”