The anniversary marks ten years of accreditation from the Joint Commission as a primary stroke center.
The program began as the shared vision of Neurologist, Dr. Ronald Hess and Ruby Garma RN, who served as the program’s first Stroke Center-Medical Director and Program Coordinator. Their vision was to provide the highest quality care for patients suffering from stroke in a comfortable community hospital setting.
In 2003, El Camino Hospital was invited to be one of the pilot facilities for the American Heart Associations “Get with the Guidelines” program – an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to the latest scientific guidelines. As a result of consistent adherence to these guidelines and proven high-quality care, we have been awarded the gold seal of approval from the American Heart Association since 2007.
In December 2005, El Camino Hospital was designated as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission. To become a primary stroke center, a facility must meet specific requirements and outcomes.
In 2007, Dr. Peter Fung and Sherril Hopper, RN took over as Medical Director and Program Coordinator. Through their passion and vision for excellence, the program has continued to grow and thrive, offering the most current treatments available for stroke patients. In 2012, our Los Gatos Campus also became a Joint Commission Stroke Certified Hospital. And in 2013, the stroke program developed our neurointerventional service line, offering a whole new way of caring for the most severe stroke patients.
Today, our patients are treated by a dedicated stroke team of over 550 trained professionals including Neurointensivist; Neurointerventionalist; Neurologists; Neurosurgeons; ED Physicians; RNs and Technicians; Stroke-Specialized Nurse Practitioner; Critical Care and Stroke Unit RNs; Cath Lab RNs Imaging and Laboratory staff; rehabilitation specialists including speech/swallow, occupational and physical therapists as well as rehabilitation-specialized nurses.
In ten years, the program has treated over 4,000 patients. Our successful outcomes are a result of constant diligence towards meeting the highest standards of care, as recommended by the American Heart Association, over 95% of the time.
Learn more about our Stroke Program and the Joint Commission Certification.
This article first appeared in the February 2016 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.
