Comprehensive Stroke Care

What is a Comprehensive Stroke Center?

Comprehensive Stroke Center status is the highest level of stroke certification available. Hospitals like PVHMC that earn this extraordinary achievement certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association.

PVHMC has been providing comprehensive stroke services to our region and surrounding communities since 2010. Our stroke program addresses the rapid assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke. A stroke is caused by the interruption of blood flow to the brain. This interruption is the result of either a blockage from a blood clot or the bursting of a blood vessel. 85% of strokes are the result of a blocked blood vessel.

Every second counts in the treatment of stroke patients. The faster the patient identifies the symptoms of the stroke the sooner they can get to the hospital the faster we can treat them. Patients lose millions of brain cells every second blood flow is interrupted to the brain.

PVHMC wants you to BE FAST. Know the signs and symptoms of stroke and act FAST.

BALANCE: Sudden loss of balance or coordination

EYE: Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes

FACE: Facial droop, uneven smile

ARM: numbness, arm weakness

SPEECH: Slurred speech, difficulty speaking or understanding

TIME: Call 911. Get to PVHMC/hospital immediately

Stroke care starts when you call 911, and continues into the acute hospital with a treatment option that includes TPA, the clot-busting mediation as well as thrombectomy, the removal of a blood clot from the blood vessel in the brain, causing the stroke.

PVHMC is proud to share our results with our community demonstrating our commitment to BE FAST treatment of stroke. Below is a graph demonstrating our time from patient entry to PVHMC to the administration of the clot-busting drug tPA. It also compares our outcomes with other Los Angeles County and other Comprehensive Stroke Centers across the nation.

For more information about stroke; signs and symptoms of treatment options, stroke rehabilitation, and our stroke support group, please call 909.865.9858.