Baystate Mary Lane Achieves Stroke Designation
WARE – Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, a 31-bed community hospital in Ware, and member of Baystate Health, has been designated by the Mass. Dept. of Public Health as a Primary Stroke Service, following an extensive on-site survey. Designation is awarded to hospitals that demonstrate they have the capacity to provide the medical expertise, diagnostic equipment and treatment protocols needed to assure appropriate around-the-clock emergency care for patients who present with signs of a stroke.
“Baystate Mary Lane Hospital has a comprehensive team approach to stroke care, with established clinical protocols for the optimal care of stroke patients,” said Dr. Richard Gerstein, Director of Medical Affairs, BMLH. “Our Stroke Team consists of a multidisciplinary group of physicians, nurses, and other clinical and support professionals.”
Stroke, also known as ‘brain attack,’ occurs when blood vessels carrying oxygen to the brain rupture or are blocked by a blood clot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke is the third leading cause of death and a major cause of serious long-term disability in the United States.
Several factors that increase the risk of stroke but may be controlled, modified, and treated include: high blood pressure, tobacco use, diabetes, carotid or other artery disease, peripheral artery disease, and other conditions. Risk factors for stroke that cannot be changed include; increasing age, gender, family history and prior stroke or heart attack. People of all ages, including children, have strokes, but the risk of stroke increases as we age. Stroke is more common in men than in women.
To learn more about stroke, or for a free Stroke Prevention Survey, call The Professionals at (413) 967-9077, or toll-free outside the Ware calling area at (800) 377-HEALTH.
