Surviving a stroke requires fast action and excellent care. Aspirus Riverview Hospital in Wisconsin Rapids and Aspirus Medford Hospital were recently recognized for providing exceptional stroke care by the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program. The award is given to the hospitals with the lowest stroke readmission rate, based on Wisconsin Department of Health Services hospital discharge data.
“Providing outstanding care for our stroke patients requires great teamwork by nurses, physicians, and medical professionals throughout the entire hospital,” said Rochelle Anderson-Tesch BSN, RN, CEN, Emergency Department Team Lead and Stroke Nurse Coordinator with Aspirus Riverview Hospital.
Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and someone dies of a stroke every four minutes.
Surviving a stroke requires knowing the signs and getting immediate care – BE FAST:
BALANCE – Sudden loss of coordination or balance
EYES – Sudden change in vision
FACE – Sudden weakness on one side of the face or facial droop
ARM – Sudden arm or leg numbness or weakness
SPEECH – Sudden slurred speech, trouble speaking, trouble understanding speech
TERRIBLE HEADACHE – Sudden onset of a terrible headache
Seven things you can do to help decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke:
- Manage blood pressure
- Control cholesterol
- Reduce blood sugar
- Get active
- Eat better
- Lose weight
- Stop smoking
Aspirus Health is a non-profit, community-directed health system based in Wausau, Wisconsin. Its 8,700 employees are focused on improving the health and well-being of people throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Aspirus Health serves communities through four hospitals in Michigan and six hospitals in Wisconsin, 50 clinics, home health and hospice care, pharmacies, critical care and air-medical transport, medical goods, nursing homes and a broad network of physicians. Aspirus Health has been recognized for three consecutive years by IBM Watson Health as a Top 15 Health System in its annual study identifying the top-performing health systems in the country. For more information, visit aspirus.org
The Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program assists hospitals and EMS providers in their mission to provide high-quality stroke care by supporting quality improvement and continuing education for stroke teams and EMS professionals.