HONESDALE, PA — Wayne Memorial Hospital has been recertified for three years as a Primary Stroke Center (PSC).

A PSC “has the necessary staffing, infrastructure and programs to stabilize and treat most emergent stroke patients,” according to accrediting agency Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Healthcare. 

Stroke care matters in Pennsylvania. The state’s overall death rate from stroke, according to the PA Department of Health, is 36.3 per 100,000. That’s just under the 2020 national rate of 38.8 per the Centers for Disease Control. 

But Pennsylvania has the third-largest rural population in the country—which means it can take longer to get a patient to the hospital. 

Becker’s Hospital Review has noted that over 100 rural hospitals have closed since 2005, and 30 percent of the remaining rural hospitals are at risk of closing soon.

The American Stroke Association (ASA) emphasizes that if you’re having a stroke, “it’s critical to get medical attention right away. Immediate treatment may minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and prevent death.”

Since the last stroke certification survey, Wayne Memorial Hospital has treated 243 ischemic stroke patients, 63 hemorrhagic stroke patients and 194 who suffered transient ischemic attacks or TIAs. 

The ASA calls stroke “a leading cause of death, killing nearly 130,000 people each year, and is a leading cause of serious, long-term adult disability.”

What is a PSC?

A PSC treats a broader range of stroke conditions, can provide certain therapies and can admit patients to beds intended for stroke care, DNV continued.

DNV is approved by both the Pennsylvania State Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

The recertification required site visits and an examination of those parts of the hospital related to stroke treatment.

“This recertification validates all the efforts we have put in place to assure the best possible care for assessing and treating stroke patients in our community,” said Wayne Memorial CEO James Pettinato. “It’s a combination of the right equipment, personnel and training, as well as the ability to efficiently transfer patients in the rare instances they require treatment beyond our capabilities.”

Wayne Memorial’s stroke program includes streamlined diagnostic procedures for stroke patients, including the ability to obtain and interpret a CT image of the brain within 45 minutes, a hospital spokesperson said. 

When it first sought certification, Wayne Memorial also built and continues to maintain a helipad less than a mile from the hospital’s emergency department.

Emergency Department physician staff, all board-certified in emergency medicine, can administer TNK (tenecteplase), a clot-busting drug for ischemic stroke patients. It must be given from the beginning of symptom onset to 4.5 hours after symptoms began.

‘Time is brain’

“In addition to our training and expertise, our certification includes a focus on educating the community about stroke,” said Michele Churney, R.N., the outpatient clinical services manager. 

Noting that a stroke—think of it as the brain’s equivalent to a heart attack—affects blood flow to the brain, Churney added, “It’s important that the community understand that the sooner a stroke patient seeks care and treatment, the greater the odds of decreasing or reversing the effects of the stroke. Time is brain. Time is of the essence—every second counts—when treating a stroke.”