Primary Stroke Center
Expert Care for Stroke Patients at Penn Highlands DuBois.
DuBois Primary Stroke Center is the Gold Standard in Stroke Management
If you or a loved one lives in or near DuBois, PA, and needs community stroke and rehabilitation care, Penn Highlands Primary Stroke Center is the place to turn. When someone experiences a stroke, or a stroke is expected, it’s important to get to the nearest emergency room for fast stroke management. Every Penn Highlands ER and hospital is skilled at assessing and treating stroke in a medically-appropriate way. Penn Highlands DuBois is one of Penn Highlands two Primary Stroke Centers that offers advanced stroke care, patient involvement in stroke care, rigorous quality tracking, and education for stroke management.
What does a Primary Stroke Center designation mean?
Penn Highlands DuBois is proud to be a designated Pennsylvania Primary Stroke Center for the region. It is recognized by the Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association as providing enhanced stroke management and improving outcomes for stroke patients.
The Primary Stroke Center certification recognizes hospitals that have state-of-the-art infrastructure, staff and training to treat patients and “make exceptional efforts to improve stroke outcomes,” according to the Joint Commission.
How does Penn Highlands DuBois provide immediate stroke management care?
Upon arrival at Penn Highlands DuBois, patients are evaluated by an emergency department doctor and a TeleStroke robot with quick access to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a world-renowned healthcare provider. This telemedicine robot provides a direct connection to a stroke neurologist from UPMC who reviews test and exam results in real time along with the Penn Highlands DuBois doctors. In partnership with UPMC, Penn Highlands DuBois also utilizes Viz.ai, an artificial intelligence program that scans any images and flags suspected stroke cases within minutes, reducing treatment time from hours to minutes. When providing stroke care, time is brain.
What type of inpatient stroke care does Penn Highlands DuBois offer?
After initial treatment, stroke management care at Penn Highlands DuBois takes place in the hospital’s designated stroke unit. A multidisciplinary team works together to care for the patient, working toward minimizing their disability and getting them back home with their loved ones. While in the stroke unit, patients are evaluated by physical, occupational and speech therapists, a dietician and a social worker who work together with a stroke physician to develop the treatment plan. Stroke patients are provided stroke specific education to help prevent further complications and to maximize their function and lifestyle.
What does Penn Highlands offer for stroke rehab near me?
Recovery and intense inpatient therapy is available at The Rehabilitation Center at Penn Highlands DuBois, and it can continue at home with any of the Penn Highlands Healthcare home health agencies and outpatient therapies. Getting care close to home – or at home – is always a goal.
How long has Penn Highlands DuBois been a designated Primary Stroke Center?
Penn Highlands DuBois has been a Primary Stroke Center since 2014, providing a state-of-the-art infrastructure, staff and training to receive and treat patients and provide improved patient outcomes 24/7.
