HYMC earns The Joint Commission's Acute Stroke Ready Certification

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Howard Young Medical Center - part of Aspirus (HYMC) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Acute Stroke Ready Certification.

HYMC underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review in July, 2023. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with related certification standards including program management, processes for delivering clinical care and performance improvement. Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“Acute Stroke Ready Certification recognizes healthcare organizations committed to striving for excellence and fostering continuous improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer, The Joint Commission. “We commend Howard Young Medical Center for using The Joint Commission certification process to reduce variation in clinical processes and to strengthen its clinical program to drive safer, higher quality and more compassionate care for individuals served.”

“We congratulate HYMC for this outstanding achievement,” says Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Stroke Association. “This certification reflects its commitment to providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients.”

“Our HYMC Stroke Team is committed to provide education and awareness to our patients and community regarding stroke recognition and providing time-sensitive stroke care based on best practices and guidelines,” said Jason Baumgartner, RN, Howard Young Medical Center. “Achieving Acute Stroke Ready Certification is an incredible recognition, and I am grateful to our wonderful team of staff and physicians who dedicate their work in providing lifesaving education and treatment to save the lives in our community.”

The HYMC Stroke Team is comprised of multiple hospital disciplines whose efforts strive to provide extraordinary outcomes for each patient they treat knowing that every stroke journey they encounter is unique. Continuous education for the HYMC Stroke Team involves keeping abreast of local community risk factors leading to stroke such as high cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes is crucial in treatment readiness. In addition, the HYMC Stroke Team uses this knowledge and clinical practice guidelines to be proactive to these factors by collaborating with all Aspirus providers to offer patient education and resources.

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