Bassett earns certification as a primary stroke center

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Bassett Medical Center earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Primary Stroke Center Certification.

The certification recognizes hospitals that meet standards to support critical elements to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes for stroke patients. To achieve the certification, Bassett underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site review where reviewers evaluated compliance with standards and conducted on-site observations and interviews.

“With stroke as the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S., providing the highest standards of stroke care to our rural communities is absolutely essential,” Bassett Healthcare Network President and CEO Dr. Tommy Ibrahim said in a release. “We are honored to receive this certification recognizing our commitment to our patients.”

“As a rural primary stroke center, Bassett Medical Center serves an area the size of Connecticut with assistance from Bassett’s five affiliate hospitals that all provide emergent stroke care and can transfer to a higher level of care, when necessary,” Jo-Ann Vass, Bassett’s stroke program coordinator, added. “In addition to the neurologists on staff here at Bassett Medical Center, we have a very successful telemedicine partnership with Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, providing 24/7 neurology specialists on-call.”

In 2022, Bassett was also awarded the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus: Stroke Honor Roll Elite quality achievement for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most-appropriate treatment according to recognized, research-based guidelines.

Bassett Healthcare Network is an integrated health system that provides care and services to people living in a 5,600-square-mile region in upstate New York.