GEORGETOWN, Ky. — The UK/Norton Healthcare Stroke Care Network has recognized Georgetown Community Hospital (GCH) with its Innovation Award for the hospital’s work in improving stroke care for its patients.
The award was presented to GCH stroke program coordinator, Billiejean Kendrick, RN, by Larry B. Goldstein, MD, interim director of the Stroke Care Network, at the network’s annual summit in Lexington, Ky. on Sept. 12.
The Innovation Award is given to affiliate hospitals who demonstrate remarkable innovation with implementing a leading edge approach to stroke care. GCH was singled out for its Stroke Alert Drill. “Stroke Alert” is used at GCH upon the recognition of stroke-like symptoms or receipt of a suspected stroke call from EMS in the field. Once either is recognized “Stroke Alert” is immediately paged overhead and repeated three times. The purpose of the “Stroke Alert” is to facilitate a timely and coordinated response from the ER provider, ER nurses, radiology Computed Tomography (CT) tech and phlebotomist. All of these team members are vital in quickly assessing, stabilizing and treating the stroke patient.
“Georgetown Community Hospital conducted a Stroke Alert drill, which they recorded for educational purposes. The innovative aspect was they collaborated with community partners at Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Kentucky (TMMK)/Premise Health, Georgetown-Scott County EMS (GSCEMS) and their own emergency department,” said Lisa Bellamy, BHS, RN, CPHQ, managing director for the network. “This cutting edge idea allowed each organization to test and evaluate the effectiveness of their stroke system of care. We are proud to work with Georgetown Community Hospital and are delighted to recognize this affiliate for this award.”
In addition to its innovative qualities, the Stroke Alert Drill is another way GCH is advancing its mission of Making Communities Healthier.
“We are committed to our mission of Making Communities Healthier on a daily basis. The collaboration with TMMK/Premise Health and GSCEMS is a true testament of how we work together to effectively drive innovations in quality, and ensure continuous performance and process improvement,” said Audra Byers, RN, BSN, CCRN, CCRP, CHFN, director of cardiovascular services and accreditation at GCH. “These efforts help to further improve quality, enhance safety and lead the way to better health for our community.”
UK HealthCare is certified by the Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, which is the highest honor awarded to stroke centers. Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification recognizes those hospitals that have state-of-the-art infrastructure, staff and training to receive and treat patients with the most complex strokes, including advanced imaging capabilities, 24/7 availability of specialized treatments and staff with the unique education and competencies to care for complex stroke patients.
As an affiliate in the Stroke Care Network, Georgetown Community Hospital has access to UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare’s expertise and resources, which – when combined with GCH’s own excellent stroke care – helps the hospital to offer its patients the best stroke care possible.
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