Residents in north Arkansas can be confident in the stroke care they receive at North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC). The medical system’s teams earned three awards during the annual AR SAVES conference held in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in late September.
NARMC was presented with an Honorable Mention Award for being the most improved hospital in the care of stroke patients. One of seven hospitals in the state to earn this recognition, NARMC’s stroke team excelled in training and community outreach. The AR SAVES current goal is 60 minutes from patient arrival to administration of stroke medication; NARMC’s average door-to-medication time is 52 minutes.
The NARMC EMS team received the EMS Certificate of Excellence Award for their outstanding performance in stroke care. The EMS team has coordinated with the stroke care team to ensure consistent stroke care for emergency patients as they are transported to the ER. In addition, EMS team members participated in training and drills for stroke care, appointed an EMS liaison and assisted with community outreach events.
ER Physician Raymond Griffith, D.O., earned the Physician Champion Award for his dedicated excellence to best practices in stroke care. Dr. Griffith serves as the Medical Director for both the Emergency Department and EMS, which has improved processes and streamlined patient care. NARMC has many success stories of stroke survivors because of Dr. Griffith’s continued support of the stroke program.
“Statistics show that Arkansans are at higher risk of death from stroke than residents of most other states. Thanks to the stroke program at NARMC, our patients can get the life-saving treatment they need right here in their hometown.” Lauren Elliott, RN, Quality Follow-Up Nurse, said. “Attending the AR SAVES Conference was an excellent educational opportunity for our stroke team and we brought back additional ideas to continue to improve stroke care at NARMC.”
AR SAVES (Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support) is a telemedicine program that links emergency room doctors from 54 sites across Arkansas to a stroke neurologist via a live, two-way video so that patients can receive care for strokes 24-hours a day. Led by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the AR SAVES program works to ensure that patients can receive the time-sensitive care required for positive outcomes.
“The NARMC team is dedicated to providing life-saving care to our community through programs such as AR SAVES,” said Vincent Leist, President and CEO. “Congratulations to our stroke care team, EMS and Dr. Griffith on their well-earned awards. We are proud to support the work you do.”