Stroke Treatment
St. Joseph Medical Center is a primary stroke center
With a stroke, time lost is brain lost. When every second counts, there’s peace of mind in knowing that St. Joseph Medical Center offers world-class stroke care close to home. St. Joseph Medical Center has earned the prestigious Gold Seal of Approval™ from the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers. Our team of highly skilled medical professionals is specially trained to stop—or even reverse—the effects of stroke and to help patients recover and get back to the lives they love.
We encourage you to reduce your risk for stroke. We have several tools to help you:
Participate in our StrokeAware online risk assessment- Know the signs of stroke, think F.A.S.T.
- Join one of our classes including maintenance of diabetes, tobacco cessation and weight management.
World class stroke care close to home
Our medical staff is made up of experienced specialists who offer the latest treatments for stroke intervention, reversal and recovery. When precious moments count we act fast in treating stroke to minimize or reverse its effects. We are committed to providing compassionate and expert care for each of our stroke patients on their journey to recovery.
A regional innovator in state-of-the-art stroke care
Franciscan Health System continually brings new treatments for stroke to the people of the south sound region. That culture of innovation continues with St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma becoming the first hospital in Pierce County to be designated as a primary stroke center by The Joint Commission, a national accrediting organization whose staff conducted a comprehensive on-site program review in late October 2009.
The medical center’s Stroke Intervention and Recovery Program received Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval – the highest approval possible – and earned elite certification as a Primary Stroke Center. The Joint Commission's Certificate of Distinction for Primary Stroke Centers recognizes those that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care. Our fundamental goal is to meet the unique and specialized needs of stroke patients.
Our services cover the entire spectrum of care throughout the south sound. These services include acute intervention, prevention of complications, secondary prevention and neurorehabilitation. Our specially trained staff is supported by the most current technologies to take care of:
- Ischemic stroke
- Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
- Intracerebral hemorrhage
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Unruptured aneurysm
- Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
- Carotid stenosis
We make the difference when moments count
At St. Joseph Medical Center, our team of specialists uses the most advanced technology, including interventional radiology, to treat stroke and aneurysms. We employ devices such as the clot retriever, the pneumbra device, angioplasty and IV or Intra-arterial (IA) tpA to stop and/or reverse the effects of stroke or aneurysms.
Our goal is to stop or even reverse the effects of stroke and to provide our patients with the individualized care they need when moments count. Following stroke intervention treatment, St. Joseph Medical Center’s Neuro Intensive Care Unit (ICU) offers individualized care by a staff that specializes in stroke recovery. This unique eight-bed unit is located within St. Joseph’s renowned Critical Care Unit and is designed specifically for patients with stroke and other brain, spinal cord and nervous system disorders.
