Baystate Franklin Honored for Stroke Care

GREENFIELD — Baystate Franklin Medical Center received the Coverdell NIH (National Institutes of Health) Stroke Scale Rate of 100 Percent Award from the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). The Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded quality improvement collaborative administered by the Department of Public Health; it supports Primary Stroke Service hospitals. This award recognizes the hospitals that performed NIH Stroke Scale assessments on 100{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of stroke patients from January 2015 – December 2015.

The NIHSS is an evidence-based tool that is used to provide a quantitative measure of stroke-related neurologic deficit. Diane Stephan, RN, BSN, Emergency Department nurse educator and stroke coordinator at BFMC, attended the awards event in Boston to accept Baystate Franklin’s award. “At Baystate Franklin, we strive to provide exceptional care to all of our patients, said Stephan. “We are proud that our commitment to providing quality stroke care was recognized by this prestigious award from the DPH’s Coverdell Stroke program.” Baystate Franklin Medical Center also recently received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines ® -Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke SM Honor Roll. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. This is Baystate Franklin’s fourth consecutive year earning a Gold Plus rating.