CENTRAL CAROLINA HOSPITAL AWARDED ADVANCED CERTIFICATION FOR PRIMARY STROKE CENTERS

Sanford, NC – April 11, 2019 Central Carolina Hospital announced that it has again earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.

Central Carolina Hospital underwent a rigorous onsite review in January. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.

“Central Carolina Hospital has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “We commend Central Carolina Hospital for becoming a leader in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community.”

“We congratulate Central Carolina Hospital for achieving this designation,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines Central Carolina Hospital has clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”

“Central Carolina Hospital is pleased to once again receive advanced certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” said Spencer Thomas, CEO, Central Carolina Hospital. “The certification provides us with the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide as well as to continually strive to advance our care even further.”

Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (JAMA, 2000) and the “Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011).

Stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

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About The Joint Commission:

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

About the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association:

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke- America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The familiar Heart-Check mark now helps consumers evaluate their choices in hospital care. Each mark given to a hospital is earned by meeting specific standards for the care of patients with heart disease and/or stroke. The Heart-Check mark can only be displayed by hospitals that have achieved and defined requirements set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. For more information on the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Hospital Accreditation Program visit www.heart.org/myhospital.

ABOUT CENTRAL CAROLINA HOSPITAL

Central Carolina Hospital, a Duke Lifepoint Hospital, is a 137-bed acute care hospital that serves the health care needs of Lee County and surrounding communities. With over 120 physicians, the hospital offers a wide range of specialties including cardiology, orthopedics, general surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, emergency medicine, emergency medical services, gastroenterology, pediatrics, hospitalist services, internal medicine, nephrology, neurology, hematology, urology, podiatry, dentistry, pulmonary medicine, and wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Hospital services include emergency room, physical and occupational therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, diagnostic imaging and radiology, inpatient and outpatient surgery, dialysis, maternity services, nutritional counseling by clinical dietitians, and cardiac catheterization. Central Carolina Hospital was reaccredited by the Joint Commission for a 3-year period in April 2018.

Committed to providing quality care to the community, the hospital has earned numerous disease-specific quality designations:

American Heart Association Get with the GuidelinesSM Gold Plus Performance Achieve­ment Award for Heart Failure, January 2017

American Heart Association Get with the GuidelinesSM Gold Plus Performance Achieve­ment Award for Stroke, January 2017

American College of Radiology Gold Seal Accredited for Mammography June 2016

Healogics Center of Distinction for Wound Care, February 2017

Joint Commission Advanced Primary Stroke Certification, January 2019

American College of Cardiology Heart Failure Accreditation December 2017

American College of Cardiology Chest Pain Accreditation January 2018