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Belleville, New Jersey—By demonstrating compliance with standards for health care quality and safety, Clara Maass Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, has earned designation as a Primary Stroke Center from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
“Achieving designation as a Primary Stroke Center recognizes Clara Maass Medical Center’s exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care,” said Thomas A. Biga, Executive Director, Clara Maass Medical Center. “Achievement of this designation signifies that the services Clara Maass Medical Center provides have the critical elements to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes for stroke patients. It also demonstrates to the community that the quality care Clara Maass Medical Center provides is effectively managed to meet the unique and specialized needs of stroke patients.”
Clara Maass Medical Center has developed its Primary Stroke Center according to New Jersey’s Stroke Center Act, which states that stroke centers are to be established “in as many acute care hospitals as possible.” These centers are “to evaluate, stabilize and provide emergency care to patients with acute stroke and then, depending on the patient’s needs and the center’s capabilities, either admit the patient and provide inpatient care or transfer the patient to a comprehensive stroke center.”
“A stroke occurs by one of two mechanisms: either a part of the brain dies from lack of blood, usually because one of the arteries that supply oxygen-carrying blood to the brain has been blocked or damaged, or alternatively, a blood vessel in the brain bursts and the resultant hemorrhage disrupts the brain,” said Matthew J. DeLuca, M.D., Neurologist and Medical Director of Clara Maass Medical Center’s Primary Stroke Center. “Designation as a Primary Stroke Center indicates that Clara Maass Medical Center is a facility that has dedicated the resources to effectively treat a stroke patient during an emergency.”
Clara Maass Medical Center’s Primary Stroke Center is comprised of a designated stroke team of doctors, nurses and therapists, state-of-the-art diagnostic brain imaging capabilities, an intensive care unit led by nurses skilled in neurological emergencies, an inpatient stroke care unit with specially trained nurses and an inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation program.
Development of Clara Maass Medical Center’s Primary Stroke Center is the result of a $68,920 grant obtained by Clara Maass Medical Center Foundation from the Department of Health and Senior Services to pursue Stroke Center Designation. The grant supported the efforts of Clara Maass Medical Center to achieve designation as a primary stroke center, pursuant to Public Law 2004, Chapter 136, known as the “Stroke Center Act.”
Recognizing the Warning Signs of Stroke
When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged. For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability. But recognizing risk factors and the warning signs, as well as seeking immediate treatment can save both lives and functioning.
“Risk factors that increase your risk of stroke include age, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, heart disease, smoking and physical inactivity,” said John Fontanetta, M.D., Director of Emergency Medicine at Clara Maass Medical Center. “Knowing the signs of a stroke and receiving immediate medical care is critical. Educational efforts now stress that people should ‘Think FAST.’”
FAST is an acronym for recognizing and responding to the symptoms of stroke. It stands for face, arms, speech and time.
- Face: Does the face look uneven? Ask them to smile.
- Arm: Does one arm drift down? Ask them to raise both arms.
- Speech: Does their speech sound strange? Ask them to repeat a phrase.
- Time: Every second, brain cells die. Call 9-1-1 at any sign of stroke!
For more information about the warning signs of stroke or for a referral to a Clara Maass Medical Center neurologist, please call
1-888-SBHS-123.
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