North Fulton Regional Hospital (NFRH) has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for stroke care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has awarded North Fulton Regional Hospital Primary Stroke Center Certification. North Fulton Regional Hospital earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an on-site review in September.

"North Fulton Regional Hospital demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients," says Charles A. Mowll, executive vice president, Business Development, Government, and External Relations, Joint Commission.

Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation's third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke ever 45 second and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.

"We're proud to achieve the distinction," says John Holland, President and CEO of North Fulton Regional Hospital. "Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes the commitment of our employees and physicians to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community."

The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association's statements/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program - the nation's first - in 2003. A list of Joint Commission-certified programs is available at http://www.jcaho.org/.

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,200 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, the Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs and primary stroke centers. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.