The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has awarded Florida Medical Center Primary Stroke Center Certification. Florida Medical Center earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an on-site review in September.

“Florida Medical Center demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients, ” says Charles A. Mowll, executive vice president, Business Development, Government, and External Relations, Joint Commission.

Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.

The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stoke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statement/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program – the nation’s first – in 2003.