Franciscan Health Olympia Fields has been redesignated as an Acute Stroke Ready hospital by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the hospital announced today.
Acute Stroke Ready hospitals serve as the first stop for patients suspected of having a stroke. Franciscan Health Olympia Fields is the only hospital in the South Suburbs with the designation.
“The Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Emergency Department is pleased to continue providing world class stroke care to our community with the redesignation of our ED as an Acute Stroke Ready Center,” Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Medical Director of Emergency Services Derwin Phillip, MD, said.
Rapid assessment is key when a stroke is suspected. The benchmark for an Acute Stroke Ready hospital is 45 minutes from the time a patient walks in the emergency department door to having their CT scan ordered, performed and back to the emergency department physician for evaluation.
There are two types of strokes, those with bleeds and those without. For more than a decade, Franciscan Health Olympia Fields has partnered with RUSH University Medical Center for bedside telehealth stroke evaluations from RUSH neurologists and local clinical physician partners for patients in need of stroke management.
If the telehealth evaluation determines the patient is a candidate for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) -- a clot-busting medication used to treat strokes in the early stages -- it can be administered quickly thereafter. Franciscan Health Olympia Fields has a high rate of tPA administration.
“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,” Dr. Phillip said.
Franciscan Health Olympia Fields President and CEO Raymond Grady said the designation, “allows us to further demonstrate our commitment to health equity and assuring that every member of our community has access to quality care.”
More information on Franciscan Health Olympia Fields is available online or by calling (708) 747-4000.
