What is a Comprehensive Stroke Center?

PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend (PHSHMC RB) is a certified Comprehensive Stroke Center through Det Norske Veritas (DNV). DNV certification is recognized as a symbol of quality that shows a hospital’s commitment to meeting performance standards.

The Stroke Center at PHSHMC RB has received the Gold Plus Award and Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus through Get With The Guidelines - American Heart/American Stroke Associations. The awards indicate that stroke patients at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend are consistently receiving guideline-driven care.

Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the United States and the 3rd leading cause in Oregon. In 2020, nearly 1,200 stroke patients were treated at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. As a Comprehensive Stroke Center we provide care that has been proven to improve outcomes for stroke patients.

Services offered at the Comprehensive Stroke Center at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend include:

  1. Emergency medical services: in-the-field rapid assessment and transport of stroke patients to the emergency department. Notifying ED prior to arrival, in order to have the stroke team ready
  2. Emergency department: ED staff trained in diagnosing and treating stroke patients. Performing assessment of the stroke patient by the ED physician within 10 minutes of arrival
  3. Acute stroke team: includes a doctor experienced in diagnosing and treating stroke, along with other specialists, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
  4. Neuroimaging: imaging of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system, with the capability of performing an imaging study within 20 minutes of the doctor's order, and evaluation of the image by a doctor within 15 minutes of its completion
  5. Laboratory services: around-the-clock standard laboratory services
  6. Neurosurgical services: a specialty that focuses on the surgery that treats diseases of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system
  7. Stroke care team: hospital-based specialists including nurses, technicians, and therapists
  8. Written care protocols: written procedures to help streamline and speed up the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients
  9. Support of medical organization: the commitment of administration to provide high-quality care to stroke patients
  10. Quality improvement: reviewing care provided to our stroke patients and making improvements whenever possible. The focus is to be the best
  11. Educational programs: continuing medical training for the professional staff of a comprehensive stroke center, and at least two programs a year to educate the public about stroke prevention and the availability of emergency treatment.