Jacksonville Memorial Hospital was again certified with a national designation to recognize its ability to treat strokes.

The nonprofit hospital recently earned its redesignation as an acute stroke-ready hospital. It’s a recognition reserved for hospitals and emergency centers with a dedicated stroke-focused program that meets requirements set by The Joint Commission, a national health care accreditation group.

Hospitals with this designation are able to provide immediate care for strokes, including lifesaving medications, and then transport patients to a primary or comprehensive stroke center. The certification is awarded to eligible hospitals for a two-year period after an on-site review.

“As an acute stroke-ready hospital, our patients are provided rapid medical access within a narrow 60-minute treatment time,” said Rachel Moore, Jacksonville Memorial Hospital’s emergency department nurse manager. “Each second a patient waits for treatment denies the brain of needed blood and oxygen, and fast treatment may minimize long-term effects of a stroke.”

Acute Stroke Ready Hospital certification is designed to help address a gap in access to acute stroke services while improving the assessment, delivery and care for patients, according to The Joint Commission’s website.

“This redesignation means our emergency department is able to provide patients with rapid laboratory and imaging testing, stabilization, treatment such as tPa, which is a drug used to break up a blood clot and restore blood flow to the brain, and quick transfer to a comprehensive stroke center, like Springfield Memorial Hospital,” said Dr. Scott Boston, president and CEO of Jacksonville Memorial Hospital.

Stroke is a leading cause of death for Americans, as well as a leading cause of serious long-term disability. Patients who arrive at the emergency room within three hours of their first symptoms often have less disability three months after a stroke than those who received delayed care.