St. Joseph Providing Seamless Stroke Care Across the Brazos Valley

What does this mean for the Brazos Valley? This continuum of care is seamless across our system. At all five of St. Joseph’s Emergency Departments, patients will receive the same standard of care with physicians and nurses following the same protocols when a stroke patient comes into one of our ERs.

Have you heard the expression "Time is brain," when talking about a stroke? When someone is experiencing a stroke, time is of the essence and it is recommended that the treatment of stroke takes place within four and one half hours of the onset of symptoms. In that amount of time, physicians have the capability of administering an FDA-approved treatment that can reverse or even prevent stroke damage. The treatment works by dissolving the clot and improving blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived.

“This certification further supports St. Joseph’s commitment to providing quality stroke treatment to the Brazos Valley and makes that treatment more accessible to all residents. Whether they live in College Station or Navasota, the St. Joseph hospital nearest to them can provide critical treatment in the instance of a stroke,” says Brandon Lewis, D.O., Medical Director for the St. Joseph Emergency Department.

In order to achieve this, all of the departments involved in stroke services across St. Joseph function together seamlessly as a team. At the rural hospitals, as well as at the regional health center, the Emergency Department team administers the same treatments for stroke.

“This is a very big accomplishment and further elevates the care residents are able to access through St. Joseph within the communities we serve,” said Dr. Lewis. “We deliver the same high standard of care in the Emergency Departments at all of our rural hospitals and at the regional health center.”

All four rural hospitals in Bellville, Caldwell, Madisonville and Navasota are designated as a Level III Support Stroke Facility by the Texas Department of State Health Services. St. Joseph Regional is certified as a Level II primary stroke center, and is currently pursuing a Level I designation.