UTICA, N.Y. – The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) has announced that the Wynn Hospital has been recertified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the NYS Department of Health (DOH) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Healthcare, reflecting the highest level of competence for treatment of serious stroke events. This designation was initially awarded to MVHS’s St. Luke’s Campus in July 2021 and was reaffirmed five days after the move to the Wynn Hospital. MVHS is the seventh Comprehensive Stroke Center in Upstate New York and the only one between Syracuse and Albany.
In late May, MVHS welcomed surveyors from DNV Healthcare for the annual Comprehensive Stroke Center certification. For two days, the DNV Healthcare surveyors reviewed records and protocols, talked with patients and staff, and toured the Wynn Hospital. The surveyors recognized the exceptional care from the staff, state-of-the-art equipment, tested and proven processes, and provided many accolades on the Wynn Hospital.
The MVHS Comprehensive Stroke Center delivers the highest quality of stroke care to the most complex cases, offering evidence-based treatments with cutting edge research protocols. All protocols are made in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. As of 2022, in the United States there are only 297 Comprehensive Stroke Centers with 12 of them being thrombectomy-capable (able to surgically remove a blood clot in an artery) stroke centers. The Wynn Hospital is one of the 12 centers nationwide who can perform this procedure.
“With stroke care, you must have the best clinicians and resources, but also the ability to act organizationally with extreme efficiency because of the time-critical nature of these events,” said Varun V. Reddy, MBBS, MVHS Stroke and Neuroendovascular Surgery director. “This certification from DNV Healthcare and NYS DOH validates all the effort we have put into this program to ensure the health and safety of our patients.”
The DNV Healthcare Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification is based on standards set forth by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association, and affirms that the hospital addresses the full spectrum of stroke care – diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and education – and establishes clear metrics to evaluate outcomes.
Comprehensive stroke centers are typically the largest and best-equipped hospitals in a given geographical area that can treat any kind of stroke or stroke complication. In a growing number of states, stroke center certification determines to which facility a patient should be taken for the most appropriate, reimbursable care.
“We are so proud of our entire stroke team for again achieving this significant designation,” said Darlene Stromstad, president/CEO of MVHS. “Being a Comprehensive Stroke Center means that the Wynn Hospital provides the same level of advanced stroke care that can be found in many larger cities and health systems across the country. And we are doing this right here in our community. In fact, we continue to be among the largest – typically ranking second or third – Comprehensive Stroke Centers in New York State. It is truly impressive!”
The Comprehensive Stroke Center also continuously receives the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite for its commitment and success in providing excellent care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines.
The Comprehensive Stroke Program excels in patient care due to its partnerships with Midstate Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Emergency Department (ED), Radiology, Critical Care Services, Acute Rehabilitation Unit and other hospital departments that support patients in their journey. With stroke, immediate treatment is critical to prevent loss of function. The Stroke Team uses standardized and timely protocols along with RapidAI advanced imaging to ensure that stroke patients are diagnosed quickly and are treated within 60 minutes of arrival in the ED. Therapies include clot busting TNK and the newest catheter-based interventional stroke rescue technology, all available locally at the Wynn Hospital.
###
About DNV Healthcare
DNV Healthcare is a global independent certification, assurance and risk management provider, operating in more than 100 countries. Through its broad experience and deep expertise, DNV Healthcare advances safety and sustainable performance, sets industry benchmarks, drives innovative solutions.
Whether certifying a company’s management system or products, accrediting hospitals, providing training, assessing supply chains or digital assets, DNV Healthcare enables customers and stakeholders to make critical decisions with confidence, continually improve and realize long-term strategic goals sustainably.
DNV Healthcare draws on its wide technical and industry expertise to help companies worldwide build consumer and stakeholder trust. Driven by its purpose, to safeguard life, property, and the environment, DNV Healthcare helps tackle the challenges and global transformations facing its customers and the world today and is a trusted voice for many of the world’s most successful and forward-thinking companies.
For more information about DNV Healthcare, visit www.dnvcert.com/healthcare.
