Orange County Implements
the Nation’s First Countywide Comprehensive Stroke-Neurology System
For
Immediate Release: May 7, 2009
Contact: Greg Boswell (714) 834-2791
(Santa Ana) - The Orange County Health Care Agency today announced the launch of a ground-breaking
Stroke-Neurology Receiving Center program. Much like the successful Trauma and Cardiac Receiving
Centers, Stroke-Neurology Receiving Center hospitals will offer highly trained medical experts and
leading edge technologies, setting a new standard of care for stroke patients.
Recent medical research shows that certain stroke treatments result in better outcomes for stroke victims.
These treatment methods require early identification of stroke and immediate care by stroke experts. “For
the Stroke-Neurology Program to be effective, time to treatment must be minimal and expert medical care
must always be available,” said Dr. Samuel Stratton, Medical Director of the Health Care Agency’s
Emergency Medical Services division.
The Health Care Agency worked with a coalition of stroke advocates to develop Stroke-Neurology
Receiving Center criteria with an emphasis on quality of care, patient safety and 24-hour availability of
Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Radiologists, Nurses and Emergency Medicine physicians who are expert
in managing stroke patients. These professionals will use specialized neurological techniques that have
been shown to provide the best outcomes for stroke patients. “Bringing patients to a hospital that
specializes in treating acute stroke will provide a tremendous advantage in surviving and limiting stroke
effects,” said Dr. Stratton.
Six hospitals in Orange County have currently been designated as Stroke-Neurology Receiving Center
facilities. The Health Care Agency anticipates the designation of additional hospitals in the near future.
The six hospitals designated in the initial phase include:
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Fountain Valley Regional Medical Center
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Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
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Mission Hospital and Medical Center
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St. Joseph Hospital of Orange
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University of California, Irvine Medical Center
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Western Medical Center – Santa Ana
More information about stroke can be found at
www.stroke.org.
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