St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma has opened its state-of-the-art intensive care unit for patients who are being treated for stroke and other disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system.
Called the Neuro Intensive Care Unit, the eight-bed unit is located within the hospital’s acclaimed Critical Care Unit.

It features advanced technology, a highly trained staff and specialized, continuous care for patients following neurosurgery, treatment of traumatic brain injury, and interventional radiology. Interventional radiology is a procedure used to treat stroke and aneurysm (an abnormal bulge in the wall of an artery that can burst, causing dangerous, often fatal, bleeding inside the body). Another key service provided within the new unit is neuro-rehabilitation to aid patients on the road to recovery.

“Stroke is one of the leading causes of death among men and women in the nation, and it is the leading cause of adult disabilities,” says Gena Kreiner, a registered nurse and coordinator of the Stroke Program at St. Joseph. “We are committed to providing our patients with the very best care before, during and after surgery.”

St. Joseph Medical Center, which is part of Franciscan Health System and Catholic Health Initiatives, is a regional leader in neuroscience medicine and therapies. It was the first to bring Gamma Knife technology to Pierce County. This sophisticated technology is used to conduct minimally invasive brain surgery for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, tumors and other disorders. During Gamma Knife surgery, as many as 201 beams of radiation are precisely directed to the targeted tumor or lesion. This procedure is often appropriate for deep-seated tumors and for patients who are not candidates for traditional brain surgery due to their age or illness.

Also at St. Joseph, neurologists and neurosurgeons use a procedure called deep brain stimulation in which electrical impulses are sent to specific brain structures in order to suppress the symptoms of Essential Tremor, Parkinson’s disease and other disorders.

“Our new Neuro ICU Unit is an important addition to our breadth of quality care, close to home,” says Kreiner.

St. Joseph Medical Center is the flagship hospital of the Franciscan Health System. Franciscan is affiliated with Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives, one of the largest non-profit health systems in the nation.