MOBILE, Alabama -- The Joint Commission has accredited Providence Hospital as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center, one of six such centers in the state of Alabama, hospital leaders announced.
The certification process is designed to help hospitals continuously provide safe, high-quality care, treatment, and services, a hospital spokesman said.
The process also involved an analysis of policies, medical practices and procedures; patient chart review; and an onsite visit by a team of surveyors.
Stroke certification is especially important in Alabama, which sits in the nations stroke belt. The 2010 age-adjusted incidence of stroke in Alabama was 4.1 percent the highest in the nation, according to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The national rate of 2.6 percent, health statistics show. Stroke is also the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S., and nearly half of older stroke patients experience moderate to severe disability, according to CDC data.
Providence Health Ministry, a member of Ascension Health, comprises Providence Hospital, a 349-bed facility and an affiliated physician network with 50 doctors and 11 practice locations.
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Providence Hospital accredited for stroke program by Joint Commission