UTICA — Mohawk Valley Health System’s (MVHS) Wynn Hospital was recently recertified as a comprehensive stroke center by the New York State Department of Health and Det Norsek Veritas (DNV) Healthcare. The designation was originally awarded to MVHS’s St. Luke’s campus in July 2021 and was reaffirmed five days after the move to the Wynn […]
UTICA — Mohawk Valley Health System’s (MVHS) Wynn Hospital was recently recertified as a comprehensive stroke center by the New York State Department of Health and Det Norsek Veritas (DNV) Healthcare. The designation was originally awarded to MVHS’s St. Luke’s campus in July 2021 and was reaffirmed five days after the move to the Wynn Hospital last October. Surveyors from DNV Healthcare visited MVHS for its annual certification during a two-day stop, where surveyors reviewed records and protocols, talked with patients and staff, and toured the Wynn Hospital, according to an MVHS news release. The certificate is based on standards set for by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association and affirms that the hospital addresses the full spectrum of stroke care including diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and education and also establishes clear metrics to evaluate outcomes. “With stroke care, you must have the best clinicians and resources, but also the ability to act organizationally with extreme efficiency because of the time-critical nature of these events,” MVHS Stroke and Neuroendovascular Surgery Director Varun V. Reddy said in the release. “This certification from DNV Healthcare and NYS DOH validates all the effort we have put into this program to ensure the health and safety of our patients.” Comprehensive stroke centers are typically the largest and best-equipped hospitals in a given geographical area that can treat any kind of stroke or complication. “We are so proud of our entire stroke team for again achieving this significant designation,” MVHS President/CEO Darlene Stromstad said. “Being a comprehensive stroke center means that the Wynn Hospital provides the same level of advanced stroke care that can be found in many larger cities and health systems across the country. And we are doing this right here in our community.” The stroke team, working with its emergency medical services and hospital partners, uses standardized and timely protocols along with RapidAI advanced imaging to ensure stroke patients are diagnosed quickly and are treated within 60 minutes of arrival in the emergency department. Therapies include clot busting TNK and catheter-based interventional stroke-rescue technology. DNV Healthcare is a global independent certification assurance and risk-management provider that operates in more than 100 countries to advance safety and sustainable performance and set industry benchmarks. MVHS is the seventh comprehensive stroke center in upstate New York and the only one located between Syracuse and Albany. As of 2022, there are only 297 comprehensive stroke centers in the U.S. Of those, only 12 including the Wynn Hospital, are thrombectomy-capable — meaning they are able to surgically remove a blood clot in an artery.