Augusta Health’s stroke care rewarded

FISHERSVILLE – Karen Bess could not move her arm or perform basic tasks such as bathing or brushing her teeth after suffering a series of strokes four years ago.

But Bess said Tuesday that the work of therapists and other professionals at Augusta Health allowed her to return to a relatively normal life that today includes travel.

“The occupational therapist helped me dress, bathe and brush my teeth,’’ said Bess, who described her team of Augusta Health therapists as cheerleaders who aided her recovery.

The stroke care the hospital has focused on was recognized on Tuesday with the American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines Stroke Bronze Achievement Award.

To receive the award, Augusta Health had to follow stroke treatment guidelines for 90 days that included aggressive use of medications and care.

Stroke care has been a high priority at Augusta Health since 2006, when a stroke team of hospital professionals from neurology, nursing and various therapy departments was formed to monitor symptoms and provide ongoing care for stroke victims.

While Augusta Health admitted about 15 stroke patients a month between July 2008 and June 2009, about 700,000 people suffer a stroke each year according to the American Stroke Association.

And of survivors, 21 percent of men and 24 percent of women die within a year.

Dr. Robert McMahon, an Augusta Health neurologist and the hospital’s stroke program medical director, said the next goal for the hospital is certification as a stroke center by the Join Commission on Health Care Accreditation.

“This is not a small undertaking,’’ McMahon told AH staff at Tuesday’s awards ceremony.

He called the hospital’s stroke care efforts collaborative and said they are starting to “bear fruit.”

The stroke team reviews monthly patient data and discusses new developments in care and management of strokes, and also develops action plans to improve performance.

Bess said she is living proof of Augusta Health’s efforts.

“I’m living a full life because of the care I received at Augusta Health,’’ she said.