Middletown, NY – Garnet Health Medical Center, formerly Orange Regional Medical Center, is pleased to announce it has enhanced its stroke program with the dedication of a specialized stroke unit.
“Enhancing our stroke program is an important step towards providing better stroke care to our patients,” said Kavneet Kaur, MD, MPH, Medical Director Neurology Services, Garnet Health Doctors; Medical Director Stroke Program, Garnet Health. “A dedicated specialized stroke unit has been shown to improve stroke patient outcomes because treatment is expedited faster by specially trained staff. All stroke patients in the unit are seen by neurologists, and patients are discharged sooner so they can get rehabilitation and strive for a better recovery.”
The stroke program at Garnet Health Medical Center has three major objectives: to minimize the amount of time in administering life-saving stroke treatment upon the patient’s arrival; to offer a dedicated specialized stroke unit which leads to faster and better patient outcomes; and to increase awareness of proper stroke treatment amongst the public and healthcare professionals.
Garnet Health Medical Center is one of only two designated stroke centers in Orange County by the New York State Department of Health. It is a recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, and Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
Additionally, Garnet Health Medical Center received Healthgrades 2020 Stroke Care Excellence Award™, was named Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Treatment of Stroke in 2020 and is a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for 2 Years in a Row (2019-2020).
Symptoms of stroke can include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms or legs on one side of the body, as well as speech impairment, trouble with eye sight, loss of balance as well as severe headache. Our stroke care experts stress that B.E. F.A.S.T is an easy acronym to help remember the sudden signs of stroke, which reflects:
- Balance (loss of)
- Eyes (trouble seeing)
- Face Dropping
- Arm Weakness
- Speech Difficulty
- Time (Call 911 immediately)
Rapid diagnosis to determine the stroke and immediate medical treatment (in less than 60 minutes, known as the Golden Hour) will reduce chances of further complications. A dedicated stroke unit in hospitals, with committed physicians, specialized nurses, and ancillary personnel trained and experienced in stroke management can further reduce a patient’s home-to-treatment time and produce better outcomes.
Garnet Health Medical Center also offers a stroke support group that meets virtually on the 4th Tuesday of every month.
For more information, contact Stroke Program Coordinator, Suzanne Geraci, BSN, RN, at
333-1507. For more information about stroke care at Garnet Health Medical Center, visit www.garnethealth.org/stroke.
About Garnet Health Medical Center
Garnet Health Medical Center features seven floors of state-of-the-art technology and provides 383 beds and employs approximately 3,300 healthcare professionals. In addition to inpatient services, highlights of Garnet Health Medical Center include a cancer center and a five-story outpatient services building on the main campus, featuring Garnet Health Doctors with primary care and specialty physicians, urgent care, outpatient surgical and diagnostic services and more. Garnet Health Medical Center was named by Healthgrades as one of the 100 best hospitals nationally for cardiac intervention and General Surgery and was a recipient of the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™. Garnet Health Medical Center also achieved the Healthgrades 2019 and 2020 America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award™ placing the hospital in the top 5 percent of more than 4,500 hospitals assessed nationwide for its superior clinical performance. It is a designated Magnet hospital recognizing excellence in Nursing; a recipient of the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite; and its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system has achieved Stage 7 which is the highest level on HIMSS Analytics’ EMR adoption model. Garnet Health Medical Center is an Academic Affiliate of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. It is also a member of Garnet Health, its corporate parent, which is recognized by Ethisphere as one of the 2018 and 2019 World’s Most Ethical Companies. To learn more about Garnet Health Medical Center, visit garnethealth.org.
