Cadence Health's Central DuPage Hospital Awarded Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification

WINFIELD, Ill., May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Central DuPage Hospital (CDH), a member of Cadence Health, has been recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association as meeting The Joint Commission's standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. The Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center designation recognizes CDH's significant resources in staff, training and state-of-the-art infrastructure that comprehensive stroke centers must have to treat complex stroke cases.

"Achieving Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center designation was a hospital-wide initiative that involved a dedicated team of physicians, nurses, therapists, case managers, technicians and staff working together across multiple disciplines and departments," said Brian Lemon, President, Central DuPage Hospital.  "This designation represents our commitment to providing high-quality stroke care to the communities we serve."

As an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, CDH stroke patients have access to:

• 24/7 advanced imaging capabilities and treatment options, including endovascular interventions;
• 24/7 access to a comprehensive stroke team that includes neurologists, interventional neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-intensivists, neuro-rehabilitation specialists, nurses, therapists, case managers and social workers;
• A specifically trained multi-disciplinary team to coordinate individualized post-hospital care and goals for each patient.

The Stroke and Cerebrovascular Program in the Neurosciences Institute at CDH is one of the largest, most comprehensive stroke centers in metropolitan Chicago. CDH's Stroke program earned certification as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission in 2006, the highest designation awarded at that time.

"By achieving this advanced certification, Central DuPage Hospital has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of its patients with a complex stroke condition," says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint Commission. "Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends Central DuPage Hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate the standard of its care for the community it serves."

Nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, according to the American Stroke Association.  It is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and on average, every four minutes someone dies of a stroke. Smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet, elevated Body Mass Index, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes are all risk factors for stroke.

About Cadence Health
Cadence Health was formed in March 2011 as a result of the merger between Central DuPage Health System based in Winfield, Ill., and Delnor Community Health System based in Geneva, Ill. Cadence Health is a locally based, locally governed health system focused on delivering excellent health care to the more than 1 million patients in Chicago's western suburbs. For six of the past seven years (2006-2010, 2012), Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) has been selected by Truven Health Analytics as one of the "100 Top Hospitals in the U.S.," currently maintains affiliations with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago for pediatric specialty care and Cleveland Clinic for cardiac surgery, adult medical oncology, and cardiology services. Delnor Hospital recently received accreditation by the American College of Surgeon's National Accreditation Program of Breast Centers for the Delnor Center for Breast Health.  Both hospitals have achieved Magnet® recognition for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Cadence Health employs more than 6,100 professionals providing care across an interdependent network of healthcare organizations. Cadence Health also includes Cadence Physician Group, a local network of more than 200 primary care physicians and specialists on the medical staff at CDH or Delnor Hospital. For more information or to find a doctor, please visit www.cadencehealth.org.

About The Joint Commission:
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,600 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,600 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also certifies more than 2,400 disease-specific care programs such as stroke, heart failure, joint replacement and stroke rehabilitation, and 400 health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

About the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association:
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America's No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit www.heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.

The familiar Heart-Check mark now helps consumers evaluate their choices in hospital care. Each mark given to a hospital is earned by meeting specific standards for the care of patients with heart disease and/or stroke. The Heart-Check mark can only be displayed by hospitals that have achieved and defined requirements set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. For more information on the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Hospital Accreditation Program visit www.heart.org/myhospitals.

SOURCE Cadence Health