HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital receives Primary Plus Stroke Certification, highest ranking in the area

Eau Claire, Wis. – HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital is excited to announce it has received certification as a Primary Plus Stroke Center from DNV Healthcare USA Inc. HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital is the only healthcare organization in northwestern Wisconsin to receive this designation.

“This certification validates to our communities that we have the resources, skills and expertly trained  team members to provide the best possible stroke care,” says Annie Letkiewicz, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital stroke program coordinator. “We are proud of this certification because it demonstrates we provide a wide range  of stroke care – diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and education. We are also the only hospital in the region with the capability to remove blood clots in the brain for those experiencing an acute stoke.”

The DNV Primary Plus Stroke Certification is awarded based on industry standards set by the American Stroke Association (ASA) and the Brain Attack Coalition, which are among the most prestigious stroke agencies in the world.

One in six people will experience a stroke in their lifetime and an estimated 17 million strokes happen each year worldwide, according to the ASA. Letkiewicz says getting to a hospital quickly for diagnosis and treatment is proven to produce the best outcomes.

“Minutes and hours after a successful clot retrieval procedure, patients may be walking and talking and symptom free, even after serious stroke symptoms,” says Dr. Jacques Tham, interventional radiologist at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital. “The sooner a patient can be brought to a hospital that performs clot retrieval, the better chance he or she has of recovery.”

To learn more about HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital’s nationally recognized Stoke Center visit: www.hshs.org/SacredHeart/Services/Stroke-Center.

###

About HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the Founding Institute, and it is an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System. Since 1889, it has been meeting patient needs in western Wisconsin with the latest medical innovations and technology, together with a Franciscan whole-person healing tradition.

About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states - Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries,  and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.