Strokes can be frightening and deadly. But if you suffer a stroke, you can be confident about the level of care you will receive at Texoma Medical Center. The Joint Commission, the organization that evaluates and accredits hospitals nationwide, recently conducted an on-site review of the hospital's stroke program and awarded it certification as a Primary Stroke Center. TMC is the only hospital in the region and one of a select group across the country to earn this designation.

"A Primary Stroke Center certification is considered the gold standard in stroke care," says W. Mackey Watkins, M.D., President and CEO of TMC. "Only those hospitals that provide exceptional care and meet The Joint Commission's rigorous standards receive this prestigious recognition."

"We have established processes in place to rapidly evaluate, diagnose and treat patients," says Lana Snowden, Nurse Manager of the intensive care unit at TMC. "Our goal is to provide patients with outstanding, consistent and prompt stroke care that is close to home. Timing is vital because patients have better outcomes when they receive appropriate treatment quickly."

According to Nancy Pike, Vice President of Professional and Ambulatory Services at TMC, the hospital staff have been particularly focused on evaluating and refining stroke care for several years. "In 2005, we joined the American Heart Association's (AHA) Get With The Guidelines^SM stroke program and have received several awards from the AHA for outstanding stroke care," she says.

Stroke is a medical emergency
Stroke is the third leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. It occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, usually due to a blocked or burst blood vessel.

"We can use clot-busting medications to help stop some thrombolytic strokes, the most common type of stroke," says Bharathy Sundaram, M.D., a neurologist on the medical staff at Texoma Medical Center. "But we can only administer these drugs within two to four hours after stroke symptoms start."

Improve your odds of surviving a stroke. Call 911 right away if you suddenly experience any of the following:

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding
• Difficulty seeing from one or both eyes
• Dizziness
• Loss of balance or coordination, difficulty walking
• Severe headache with no known cause