July 2015, Newton, NJ – Newton Medical Center announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.
Newton Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System, one of the largest health care organizations in New Jersey, underwent a rigorous onsite review in June 2015. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.
“Newton Medical Center has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers,” said Wendi J. Roberts, RN, executive director, Certification Programs for The Joint Commission. “We commend Newton Medical Center for becoming a leader in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community.”
“We congratulate Newton Medical Center for achieving this designation,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines Newton Medical Center has clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”
The designation is the latest in a rapid succession of achievements by Newton Medical Center in demonstrating its stroke quality. This spring, the hospital achieved the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–Stroke, Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll-Elite Plus Quality Achievement Award – mere months after becoming one of approximately 559 hospitals to be recognized on the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, among the nearly 1,000 hospitals that were given Get With The Guidelines-Stroke quality achievement awards.
“As Newton Medical Center’s first Joint Commission disease-specific certification, this designation is a milestone in our commitment to bring advanced services to Sussex County,” said Joe DiPaolo, president of Newton Medical Center and vice president of Atlantic Health System. “This lets our community know that during a stroke, an event in which time is truly of the essence, Newton Medical Center is where they can come to find the best of care.”
“This certification also reflects Newton’s role in the network of high quality stroke care provided throughout Atlantic Health System,” said Jane Rubin, director of neuroscience for Atlantic Health System. “This is a very important and challenging achievement and reflects the commitment that Newton has made to the northwestern region of New Jersey to provide state-of-the-art care to its community.”
Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (JAMA, 2000) and the “Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011).
Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability 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.
Newton Medical Center
Newton Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System has been providing care to the community since 1932 and serves the people of Sussex and Warren counties in New Jersey, Pike County in Pennsylvania and southern Orange County in New York. Newton Medical Center is a trusted regional resource and a community-focused health care provider dedicated to quality and innovative service. The hospital received The Joint Commission certification for Advanced Primary Stroke, and is the recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®- Target: Stroke Honor Roll-Elite Plus Quality Achievement Award. Newton Medical is one of a select few health care facilities in New Jersey to be accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in all three of the following echocardiography procedures: adult transthoracic, adult transesophogeal and adult stress. It also received the Outstanding Achievement Award and Three-Year Approval with Commendation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Newton Medical Center also operates Milford Health & Wellness and Urgent Care, Sparta Health & Wellness, and Vernon Health & Wellness and Urgent Care.
The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission >
About the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association:
The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke- America’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. They team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
The familiar Heart-Check mark now helps consumers evaluate their choices in hospital care. Each mark given to a hospital is earned by meeting specific standards for the care of patients with heart disease and/or stroke. The Heart-Check mark can only be displayed by hospitals that have achieved and defined requirements set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Learn more about the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Hospital Accreditation Program >