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ThedaCare Regional Medical Center Neenah
March 19, 2021

ThedaCare Awarded Comprehensive Stroke Center Recertification

Continuing to Provide Complete Stroke Care for Patients and Families

NEENAH, Wis. – ThedaCare is proud to announce that it has received recertification from DNV GL – Healthcare as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, reflecting the highest level of competence for treatment of serious stroke events. ThedaCare was awarded initial certification in March 2020.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, with 140,000 deaths resulting. Strokes – especially ischemic strokes, which block blood flow to the brain – are the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., per the CDC.

“This recertification from DNV GL validates all the effort team members and leaders have put into this program, ensuring the health and safety of our patients,” said Dr. Mark Cockley, Chief Clinical Officer and President of ThedaCare’s Clinically Integrated Network. “We are honored to provide comprehensive stroke care. By enhancing that coordinated care, we can live our mission of improving the health of the communities, creating peace of mind for all we serve.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, with 140,000 deaths resulting. Strokes – especially ischemic strokes, which block blood flow to the brain – are the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., per the CDC.

“This recertification from DNV GL validates all the effort team members and leaders have put into this program, ensuring the health and safety of our patients,” said Dr. Mark Cockley, Chief Clinical Officer and President of ThedaCare’s Clinically Integrated Network. “We are honored to provide comprehensive stroke care. By enhancing that coordinated care, we can live our mission of improving the health of the communities, creating peace of mind for all we serve.”

The DNV GL – Healthcare Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification is based on standards set forth by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association, and affirms that the medical center addresses the full spectrum of stroke care – diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and education – and establishes clear metrics to evaluate outcomes.

ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah has a long history of providing stroke care for the communities in Northeast and Central Wisconsin. The hospital was one of the first certified Primary Stroke Centers in the state, and is now the fifth hospital in Wisconsin to be recognized as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. A Comprehensive Stroke Center has the specialists, infrastructure and resources needed to care for the most severe stroke patient.

The Comprehensive Stroke Center at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah has partnerships with first responders and rural hospitals, and a 24-hour acute care to provide the best care. The stroke team also provides virtual consultation to patients at ThedaCare Critical Access Hospitals to determine the correct action of care that is needed.

“All team members are committed to helping patients preserve quality of life through a structured and methodical process designed to produce quality and safe outcomes,” said Thomas Mattio, PhD, MD, neurologist with the Neuroscience Group and medical director of the ThedaCare Comprehensive Stroke Center. “That care extends after the emergency response to a stroke. We have physician specialists, neurology-focused nursing care and rehabilitation services to help patients through recovery.”

Comprehensive stroke centers are typically the best-equipped hospitals in a given geographical area that can treat any kind of stroke or stroke complication. In a growing number of states, stroke center certification determines to which facility a patient should be taken for the most appropriate, reimbursable care.

“Being certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center means that patients and families have access to the critical care they need, close to home,” said Dr. Cockley. “With stroke care, you must have the best teams and resources, and also the ability to act organizationally with extreme efficiency because of the time-critical nature of these events.”

Accessing Safe Stroke Care

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and emergency medical facilities nationally reported a significant decrease in the number of patients presenting with stroke symptoms.

“Between March and April of 2020, the beginning of the pandemic in Wisconsin, we saw a 20-30% drop in the number of patients coming in with stroke symptoms at the Stroke Center at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah,” said Kristin Randall, ThedaCare Stroke Coordinator .“We also understand the fear people may have had of contracting COVID-19 in a hospital during the pandemic. We want to assure the public, hospitals and clinics are safe places if you need to receive emergency care.”

She said the lower stroke numbers are concerning because that means some people may not be receiving the care they need and or may be missing out on important interventional treatments.

“With a stroke, time is brain. Strokes are an emergency,” said Randall. “The quicker a stroke victim gets to the hospital, the more treatment options we have. When early symptoms of health conditions are ignored, they can worsen quickly and lead to lasting damage that may have been lessened by immediate treatment.”

ThedaCare is taking necessary precautions to keep patients and team members safe in all areas of care, relentlessly pursuing and delivering outstanding care, taking every safety precaution, including:

  • Proper use of PPE.
  • Requiring anyone who enters a ThedaCare facility to wear a mask throughout their entire visit.
  • Social distancing throughout our facilities for safety.
  • Clinics and hospitals — including waiting rooms and registration — have been rearranged to ensure proper physical distancing between patients and staff at all times.
  • Respiratory care clinics have been designated to isolate and provide care for COVID-19 patients, apart from other procedures and services. Separate units and designated negative airflow spaces allow for separation of COVID-19 patients at our hospitals.
  • High-touch surfaces throughout our buildings are being cleaned more frequently and thoroughly than even before.

“We work hard to keep our patients safe every day, and we want those who think they are having a stroke to feel safe at our hospitals, especially during this time,” said Dr. Cockley. “Again, time is of the essence in treating a stroke, and treatment options decrease the longer someone waits to come to medical attention. All members of the community should know they can turn to our team for safe emergency care.”

For more information about care options and clinic safety protocols, or to make a health care appointment for yourself or a loved one, visit getcarenow.thedacare.org/

About ThedaCare

For more than 110 years, ThedaCare® has been committed to improving the health of the communities it serves in northeast and central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 600,000 residents in 17 counties and employs approximately 7,000 health care professionals. ThedaCare has 180 points of care, including seven hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their best lives through easy access to individualized care, supporting each person’s own health and wellbeing. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand unique needs, finding solutions together, and encouraging health awareness and action. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care

Network Member, giving specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care.

For more information, visit thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on social media. Members of the media should call Cassandra Wallace, Public and Media Relations Consultant at 920.442.0328 or the ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah switchboard at 920.729.3100 and ask for the marketing person on call.

About DNV GL – Healthcare

DNV GL is a world-leading certification body that helps businesses assure the performance of their organizations, products, people, facilities and supply chains through certification, verification, assessment, and training services. Within healthcare, DNV GL helps its customers achieve excellence by improving quality and patient safety through hospital accreditation, disease-specific certifications and quality- management training. The DNV GL operates in more than 100 countries. Our 16,000 professionals are dedicated to helping its customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.

For more information about DNV GL – Healthcare, visit www.dnvglhealthcare.com, or contact Faith Beaty at 281.396.1757, faith.beaty@dnvgl.com.