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St. Cloud Regional Medical Center has been designated as a Primary Stroke Center by the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA).

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This designation is based on standards set by AHCA that distinguishes hospitals with infrastructure, staff, and training to receive and treat acute stroke patients.

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At a Primary Stroke Center, patients can be assured of certain standards regarding diagnosis, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, with the ultimate goal of reducing the time between stroke onset and treatment. Primary Stroke Center designation is measured on improvement performance and recognizes hospitals that meet national guidelines and manage care for quality outcomes of stroke care. St. Cloud Regional Medical Center recently contracted with Specialist on Call to provide teleneurology services, in collaboration with Active Staff physicians at the hospital, to further improve timely access to care.

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According to the American Stroke Association, warning signs of a stroke include: sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; and sudden, severe headache with no known cause. Patients are advised to go to a Primary Stroke Center first and receive stroke care when experiencing any of these warning signs.

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"I'm pleased to announce our designation as Primary Stroke Center," states Brent Burish, CEO of St. Cloud Regional Medical Center, "St. Cloud Regional Medical Center has demonstrated that we have the properly trained staff, working together with physicians, to quickly and accurately assess and treat a stroke patient in a timely manner, which will ultimately improve our patients' recovery."

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Stroke accounts for about 1 out of every 19 deaths, ranking No. 5 among all causes of death in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

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For more information on Stroke Care or Emergency Services provided at St. Cloud Regional Medical Center, visit StCloudRegional.com.