Texas Health Stephenville Earns Stroke Designation

Hospital becomes first stroke facility in Erath County

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville recently earned designation as a Level III support stroke facility by the Texas Department of State Health Services, becoming the first stroke facility in Erath County.
 
“Hard work and dedication made this goal come to fruition,” said Christie Hershey, R.N., Texas Health Stephenville’s stroke coordinator. “We’re all about offering quality care to our patients and their family members, and this designation definitely validates the continued commitment to excellence by our employees and physicians on the medical staff.”
 
The Texas Department of State Health Services reviewed six months of hospital data to confirm Texas Health Stephenville adhered to current clinical stroke care guidelines. To earn its two-year designation, Texas Health Stephenville also completed an extensive on-site survey to verify proper use of its stroke protocols.
 
Facilities seeking Level III designation must also possess the proper equipment and key personnel, which includes a stroke medical director — who is a physician on the hospital medical staff — and a stroke nurse coordinator, needed to assess, resuscitate and stabilize stroke victims and provide treatment or immediate transfer to a higher-level stroke center.
 
“The designation affirms we’re providing quality care using stroke care guidelines,” said Christopher Leu, Texas Health Stephenville’s hospital president. “Every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke, and we want individuals to know we are here for them before, during and after a medical emergency. Because of these statistics, we look forward to doing more education and outreach in the community to increase awareness about stroke prevention, symptoms and treatment.”
 
Along with Texas Health Stephenville, more than 15 facilities across Texas are designated as Level III support stroke facilities. Texas has more than 110 Level II primary stroke facilities and over 25 Level I stroke centers — the highest level of stroke care possible. Both Texas Health Dallas and Texas Health Fort Worth are designated as Level I comprehensive stroke centers.
 
About Texas Health Resources 
Texas Health Resources is one of the largest faith-based, nonprofit health systems in the United States. The health system, which along with UT Southwestern founded Southwestern Health Resources in 2016 to make it easier for North Texans to access the highest quality care consistently in a responsive and coordinated manner, includes 29 hospital locations that are owned, operated, joint-ventured or affiliated with Texas Health Resources. It includes Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas, Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Texas Health Harris Methodist and Texas Health Huguley Hospitals, Texas Health Physicians Group, outpatient facilities, behavioral health and home health, preventive and fitness services, and an organization for medical research and education. For more information about Texas Health Resources, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit www.TexasHealth.org.