LOXAHATCHEE — Palms West Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Primary Stroke Certification and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Primary Stroke Center Certification.

Palms West Hospital underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review mid-June. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with related certification standards including program management, supporting self-management, and delivering and facilitating clinical care. Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“Advanced Primary Stroke Certification recognizes health care organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Palms West Hospital for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for stroke patients.”

“We congratulate Palms West Hospital for this outstanding achievement,” says Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Stroke Association. “This certification reflects its commitment to providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients.”

“It is a great honor to be awarded Advanced Primary Stroke certification. We are extremely proud of the expertise of our interdisciplinary stroke team who collaborate to quickly evaluate stroke symptoms and administer time sensitive treatments to help prevent disabilities and death”, said Dr. Richard Giroux, Chief of Emergency Medicine. “The award affirms the exceptional stroke care we provide our communities.”

For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website at https://www.jointcommission.org/.