Joint Commission recertifies Yale New Haven Hospital stroke center programs

New Haven, CT (March 7, 2022) Yale New Haven Hospital has again earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Stroke Center certification. The York Street Campus was recertified as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, and the Saint Raphael Campus was recertified as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center.

During unannounced, onsite reviews at each campus in 2021, Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with stroke standards in several areas. These included emergency stroke evaluation and treatment, patient and family education and transitions of care practices. The reviewers recognized YNHH stroke programs’ process and outcomes data and the collaborative relationships among different staff in caring for patients and families recovering from stroke. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

“We are extremely proud of our team at both campuses for achieving this goal, especially during such a challenging period as the pandemic,” said Hardik Amin, MD, medical stroke director, Yale New Haven Hospital. “It is a testament to their hard work and dedication to providing the best possible care for our stroke patients.”

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Yale New Haven Hospital for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

The Acute Stroke Ready Hospital (ASRH) certification was developed in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. These hospitals become part of a larger stroke system of care in which the hospital is equipped to evaluate, stabilize and provide emergency care to patients with acute stroke symptoms. Westerly was first certified in 2019 after implementing Yale New Haven Health’s Telestroke program which provides 24/7 communication with stroke-trained neurologists.

Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of adult disability, reports the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, which estimates that someone dies of a stroke every four minutes. A stroke occurs when a clot or a rupture prevents blood flow to the brain.

Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nationally recognized, 1,541-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826, today, YNHH has two New Haven-based campuses, and also includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital. YNHH has received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. YNHH has a combined medical staff of about 4,500 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. www.ynhh.org