Officials from Munson Healthcare announced today that the system was named the first-ever Comprehensive Stroke Center in northern Michigan.
That means Munson has the people and equipment to treat any type of stroke case.
The certification comes from “The Joint Commission,” an organization that accredits more than 22,000 health care programs in the United States. There are just over 200 hospitals in the country with the same designation, 12 of which are located in Michigan.
Dr. Gary Rajah, surgical director for Munson's program, said one in six Americans lack access to endovascular stroke care and rural areas are especially underserved when it comes to accessibility.
“Northern Michigan is now the exception to that data point,” he said. “With close access in Traverse City, people in northern Michigan will have critical time savings, preserving quality of life when minutes matter for certain types of stroke known as large vascular inclusions or brain hemorrhages.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a stroke occurs in the U.S. every 40 seconds impacting over 800,000 Americans a year.
Munson Medical Center first established an interdisciplinary stroke team in 2000, a stroke care unit in 2001, and earned certification as a Primary Stroke Center from The Joint Commission in 2012.
“This designation signifies our ability to meet the highest standards across every touchpoint of care which means a better experience and better outcomes for our stroke patients,” said David Rosenbaum-HaLevi, Medical Director of Munson's Comprehensive Stroke Program.
