Alameda Hospital has been certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission, a national organization that investigates and certifies hospitals across the country in numerous areas of care.

Alameda Hospital is proud to achieve this distinction from the Joint Commission.

Mary Bond, director of nursing at Alameda Hospital, said Alameda Hospital as a certified Primary Stroke Center will have an immense positive impact on the lives of Alameda stroke patients in the future.

"Before, Alameda stroke patients couldn't come to Alameda Hospital by ambulance or EMS," said Bond.

"EMS would take them to Eden Hospital or the nearest certified hospital in Oakland. Now we can treat those patients in a timely fashion." The sooner a stroke is treated, the lower the chance of death or brain and memory loss, according to a press release from the Brain Attack Coalition.

Alameda Hospital completed its rigorous certification process on Sept. 30, according to Louise Nakada, Alameda Hospital director of community relations; they started the process on Nov. 30, 2010.

Part of that rigorous process included classes for hospital staff. "Physician classes included learning the signs and symptoms for stroke, proper stroke care and learning the proper protocol for stroke care," said Bond. "Nurses were required to take four to eight hours of classes to learn things such as how to properly administer drugs to stroke patients."

Also, the Joint Commission required Alameda Hospital to meet stringent criteria based on recommendations from the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association's statements and guidelines for stroke care, according to the hospital's press release.

Of the many recommendations the hospital must follow, the Brain Attack Coalition requires primary stroke centers to have acute stroke teams that consist of a minimum of two staff members — one physician and another health care provider — available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A member of the acute stroke team should be at the patient's bedside within 15 minutes of being called, according to the Brain Attack Coalition website.

Reviewers with expertise in stroke care conduct on-site certification reviews. The certification decision is based on three areas: evaluation of standards, clinical practice guidelines and performance measurement activities.

Primary stroke centers that successfully demonstrate compliance in all three areas are awarded certification on a two-year basis, according to a press release from The Joint Commission.

Alameda Hospital believes being recognized as a primary stroke center is great for the hospital and city of Alameda.

"I believe it give us the opportunity to effectively continue our mission to serve the people of Alameda with the best hospital care," said Bond. "It adds to our continuum of services."

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of serious long-term disability in adults.