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Franciscan Health Olympia Fields redesignated as Acute Stroke Ready hospital
Times - 3/2/2024
Feb. 29—The Illinois Department of Public Health redesignated the Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Hospital in the south suburbs as an Acute Stroke Ready hospital.
It's the only hospital in the south suburbs to be designated as a the first stop for potential stroke patients.
Franciscan Health Olympia Fields President and CEO Raymond Grady said the status "allows us to further demonstrate our commitment to health equity and assuring that every member of our community has access to quality care."
The hospital in Olympia Fields has worked with Rush University Medical Center in the near west side medical district in Chicago for a decade. Rush neurologists partner with local physicians to Rush University Medical Center to make bedside telehealth stroke evaluations.
Rapid assessment is imperative to get the best health outcomes with strokes, which involve of loss of blood flow to the brain or bleeding in the brain and can result in lasting brain damage, disability and death. Acute Stroke Ready hospitals get CT scan results back to a doctor 45 minutes after a stroke patient walks in the emergency room.
"The Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Emergency Department is pleased to continue providing world class stroke care to our community with the redesignation of our Emergency Department as an Acute Stroke Ready Center," Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Medical Director of Emergency Services Derwin Phillip said.
The hospital has a high rate of administering tissue plasminogen activator or a clot-busting medication used to treat strokes in the early stages, which is vital since oxygen-deprived brain cells can die within minutes. The telehealth evaluations determine if it should be used quickly.
"The collaborative efforts and process improvements in the detection, assessment and treatment of our stroke patients will ensure our emergency department maintains this designation for years to come," Phillip said.
For more information, call 708-747-4000.
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