Emergent Stroke Ready Hospital
HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital in Highland is pleased to be one of the very few hospitals in the region with the state-awarded Emergent Stroke Ready Hospital (ESRH) designation. The Illinois Department of Public Health makes these designations based on the hospital's ability to meet certain criteria aligning with nationally recognized, evidence-based standards, such as those from the American Heart/Stroke Association and Brain Attack Coalition.
Illinois was one of the first states in the nation to incorporate another level of stroke center into its law. ESRHs – hospitals that diagnose, treat and transport acute stroke patients to a higher level of care as warranted – must annually attest their continued compliance with criteria outlined in the statute and the regulation to the IDPH.