St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, a member of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, is the first hospital in the U.S. to receive distinction as a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC), a new certification program from The Joint Commission.
The 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,” says 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.
The Joint Commission launched the TSC program in January 2018. For more information on the TSC certification program, please visit www.jointcommission.org.
