For Immediate Release

Contact:

Bobby Maldonado

248-858-6662

Bobby.Maldonado@stjoeshealth.org

March 15, 2018

PONTIAC, Mich. (March 15, 2018) – St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, a member of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, is the first hospital in the United States to receive distinction as a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC), a new certification program from The Joint Commission. This certification program was developed in collaboration with the American Heart

Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) in response to the need to identify hospitals throughout the county that meet rigorous standards for performing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), a specialized surgical procedure used to remove a blood clot from the brain of an ischemic stroke patient.

"This certification is recognition that St. Joe's is a regional and national leader when it comes to the early detection and treatment of large ischemic strokes," said Shannon Striebich, president of St. Joseph Mercy Oakland. "More and more, we are sending patients home with a good prognosis following a life-threatening stroke. The advancements we've made inside our stroke center are truly remarkable."

St. Joe's Stroke Center treats more than 700 patients each year. In 2004, it became the first certified Primary Stroke Center in Michigan and is the hub hospital of the Michigan Stroke Network, a collaborative network of hospitals that work together to deliver the most comprehensive stroke care in Michigan.

St. Joe's was evaluated during an onsite review in March 2018. To be eligible for the certification, the hospital was required to meet strict guidelines that include performing EVT on a minimum of 15 patients in the past year, or 30 patients in the past two years, and the capability to perform EVT around the clock, seven days a week, along with monitoring and reporting quality, safety and outcome measures to the AHA/ASA. The hospital’s primary neurointerventionists, the physicians who routinely perform emergency mechanical thrombectomy, are also required to meet the highest standards of subspecialty training.

According to the American Stroke Association, 795,000 Americans suffered a stroke last year across the country and more than 140,000 died as a result. Of those patients, roughly 87% percent suffered an ischemic stroke caused by a clot that cuts off blood flow to a part of the brain. These types of strokes are largely treatable if a patient gets to a hospital that can provide the right treatment in time.

“The Joint Commission congratulates St. Joseph Mercy Oakland on this significant achievement which makes them a preferred location for transporting patients with suspected ischemic stroke,” said David Baker, MD, MPH, FACP, executive vice president for Health Care Quality Evaluation at The Joint Commission. “Multiple studies have proven EVT treatment to be effective in saving lives and lowering disability from stroke.”

“With the recent advances in endovascular therapies for acute ischemic stroke, it’s important to recognize hospitals which can perform this critical intervention safely and effectively and we commend St. Joseph Mercy Oakland on being the first to receive this designation,” said Edward C. Jauch, M.D., chair of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Hospital Accreditation Stroke Subcommittee. “The new TSC certification is a critical piece of regional stroke systems of care, especially where Comprehensive Stroke Centers may be too far for patients with presumed large vessel occlusions to travel in a timely fashion. The TSC certification helps prehospital providers better understand hospital stroke capabilities and assist in regional EMS triage of stroke patients so that the patient gets to the right hospital for the right treatment.”

The Joint Commission launched the TSC program in January 2018. For more information on the TSC certification program, please visit www.jointcommission.org.

About The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. 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 American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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 accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. www.jointcommission.org.

About St. Joseph Mercy Oakland

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a 443-bed community teaching hospital and a long-time leader in health care in Oakland County.

Founded in 1927 by the Sisters of Mercy, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland has won numerous local and national awards for patient safety, quality and performance, and consistently ranks in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide. A member of the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a technologically leading hospital that combines advanced medicine and personal care to assist patients on their path to wellness. With dedicated physicians, nurses and hospital staff committed to providing quality care throughout the patient stay, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland has truly personalized the patient care experience.

For more information about health services offered at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, please visit stjoesoakland.org.

About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne,

Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 131,000 colleagues, has annual operating revenues of $17.6 billion and assets of about $24.6 billion. Additionally, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.