San Francisco To Designate Stroke Centers
San Francisco public health department physicians and other medical experts on Tuesday unveiled a plan to designate all San Francisco hospitals that accept patients from 911 calls as "stroke centers," the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The hospitals will be accredited as stroke centers by this fall, officials said.
The designation is expected to result in better prioritization of stroke patients and quicker blood tests, CT scans and neurological consultations. The stroke centers also are expected to lead to more effectively tailored treatment and rehabilitation.
Annually, about 1,500 people in San Francisco have strokes. Doctors say that number likely will increase as the population ages (Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/7).