EAGLE RIVER, Wis. – Aspirus Eagle River Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Acute Stroke Ready Certification.
To earn the certification, the hospital underwent a rigorous, on-site review in November. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers conducted observations and interviews and evaluated the hospital’s compliance with related certification standards including program management, processes for delivering clinical care, and performance improvement – standards that are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients.
“This certification award represents your commitment to upholding the highest standards of healthcare quality and safety for your patients, workforce and community,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer, Joint Commission. “We share that commitment and value the collaboration between our organizations so that all people experience the safest, highest quality, best value healthcare across all settings.”
“Earning Acute Stroke Ready Certification reflects our steadfast commitment to protecting the health and well being of our Eagle River community,” said Julie Williams, Director – Nursing, Aspirus Eagle River Hospital. “This accomplishment is a testament to the dedication of our team, their ongoing learning, and their shared passion for providing exceptional stroke care. We remain focused on strengthening education, improving response times, and ensuring every patient receives evidence based treatment when every second counts.”
The Eagle River Hospital Team represents multiple hospital disciplines whose efforts strive to provide extraordinary outcomes for each patient they treat, knowing that every stroke journey is unique. Crucial to the Stroke Team’s readiness is their continuous education and knowledge of community risk factors leading to stroke, such as high cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. The team uses this knowledge, along with clinical practice guidelines, to proactively collaborate with all Aspirus providers to offer patient education and resources.
“Achieving Acute Stroke Ready Certification is a significant milestone for Aspirus Health,” said Donny Abraham, Chief Administrative Officer, Aspirus Health’s North Division. “This recognition highlights our team’s unwavering commitment to delivering timely, evidence based stroke care. It’s more than meeting standards—it’s about consistently raising the bar to ensure every patient receives the highest level of care when every second counts. We remain dedicated to advancing stroke education and fostering a culture of excellence across all the communities we serve.”
Time is of the utmost importance. The faster a stroke can be treated, the better the outcome. Aspirus Health encourages everyone to use BE FAST to recognize the signs of a stroke:
• Balance; sudden loss of coordination
• Eyes; sudden change in vision
• Face; sudden weakness on one side or facial droop
• Arm; sudden arm or leg numbness or weakness
• Speech; sudden slurred speech
• Terrible Headache or Time to call 9-1-1
If you or someone you know is experiencing signs of a stroke, immediately call 9-1-1 for emergency assistance.