Riverton Hospital is Certified as a Stroke Receiving Center

RIVERTON, UT (9/12/2011) - Stroke care in southwest Salt Lake County just got better.

Intermountain Healthcare's Riverton Hospital has been designated a Stroke Receiving Facility by the Utah State Department of Health and Utah Hospitals and Health System Association.

The designation recognizes Riverton for having procedures, equipment, and protocols in place to provide time-critical emergency stroke care. The majority of the work rests with the Emergency Department staff and physicians but “we have a very collaborative process involving the radiology and pharmacy departments” said Rachelle Rhodes, manager of the Emergency Department.

“Out of the 19 facilities the state of Utah has surveyed, this has been the best one by far,” said Bob Jex, surveyor for the Utah Stroke System, during the exit interview for the certification.

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every three minutes and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

“Riverton Hospital voluntarily pursued this certification because it’s the right thing for our patients and for our community,” says Blair Kent, Riverton Hospital’s administrator. “With a stroke, every minute counts. The sooner a person can be evaluated and treated, the greater the chance of lessening the effects of the stroke. This is a terrific confirmation of our commitment to provide the latest and best treatments possible to our patients and their families.”

Riverton Hospital will work in concert with the state’s Primary Stroke Centers, like Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, and will follow national guidelines in treating patients who arrive in the emergency department with symptoms of stroke.