Aug. 19, 2009, ST. LOUIS -- Barnes-Jewish Hospital has been awarded a two-year recertification as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission. The designation is given only to centers recognized as offering exceptional stroke care.

The Barnes-Jewish and Washington University stroke center, the first in St. Louis to be certified as a Primary Stroke Center, is the busiest in the region and is nationally recognized for its acute stroke care and research.

“The redesignation assures that patients being treated at the Stroke Center are receiving the most advanced, comprehensive stroke care available, provided by a staff held to stringent standards,” said Jin-Moo Lee, MD, director of the cerebrovascular disease section at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish.

The Joint Commission, the leading accrediting organization in the U.S., developed the stroke center certification program in collaboration with the American Stroke Association. Centers must meet stringent national standards and performance measurements, as well as passing a site visit.

The Barnes-Jewish Stroke Center is known for having among the nation’s best “door-to-needle” times – the time it takes to treat an acute stroke patient with the blood clot dissolving drug tPA. The center is also known for pioneering the later administration of tPA using precise neuroimaging.

In addition, in March Washington University stroke researchers at the center were awarded one of only eight Specialized Programs of Translational Research in Acute Stroke (SPOTRIAS) grants in the country. The grant supports research into the advancement of acute stroke care.