Stroke Care Program
"GHS Knows Stroke"
Gwinnett Hospital System (GHS) provides a full continuum of stroke care, including care in the Emergency Department, dedicated stroke units in our acute care hospitals, and rehabilitation services. In fact, stroke care begins from the time a person calls 911 with symptoms of stroke.
The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) notifies the Emergency Departments at Gwinnett Medical Center or Gwinnett Medical Center Duluth of a potential stroke victim as they are transporting the patient.
This notification activates our Stroke Alert process, initializing emergent triage, diagnosis and treatment in an effort to provide eligible patients with t-PA, the only FDA approved clot buster medicine.
Accredited Programs
Part of our System’s commitment to providing the highest quality of care is our decision to seek Joint Commission Certification as a Primary Stroke Center, which we earned in early 2005. For more information about this special certification, visit the Joint Commission's Web site by clicking here. In addition our inpatient rehabilitation program at Glancy Rehabilitation Center earned the Stroke Specialty Program Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in 2006. For more information, visit the CARF Web site by clicking here.
Program Highlights
Gwinnett Hospital System is the first and only hospital system in Georgia to have a fully accredited continuum of acute stroke care programs. Some highlights include:
- Stroke Alert Process – An emergent process for treating stroke patients in the Emergency Department and in our acute care hospitals. For more information, click here.
- Stroke Research Studies - In addition to t-PA, GHS offers investigational stroke study medications through Dr. Marshall Nash, the chief Stroke Study Investigator and a local neurologist. See the article from Vim & Vigor magazine in PDF format.
- Dedicated Stroke Units - GHS offers dedicated stroke units at the Center for Neuroscience at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville and Gwinnett Medical Center Duluth. Staff on these units provide ongoing assessment and treatment for stroke patients.
- Rehabilitation Services - Rehabilitation begins with physical and occupational therapies and speech language pathology services in the acute care hospital setting as soon as the patient is stabilized. Patients needing continued inpatient care may be referred to our inpatient rehabilitation program at Glancy Rehabilitation Center or to Gwinnett Extended Care Center, our nursing home, which offers subacute rehabilitation services.
- Stroke Education and Community Screenings - For the past seven years, the Center for Neuroscience at Gwinnett Medical Center and Glancy Rehabilitation Center have teamed up to offer free stroke risk screenings to the community. The screenings are scheduled in May to coincide with National Stroke Month to increase awareness of stroke symptoms, risk factors and prevention.
Stroke Signs & Symptoms
If you or someone you know experiences any of these symptoms, call 911. Stroke is a medical emergency. The sooner you seek medical attention, the greater the opportunity for treatment to reduce or minimize long-term deficits. Time lost is brain lost! Signs and symptoms include:
- Sudden numbness or weakness.
- Sudden confusion or trouble speaking/ understanding.
- Sudden dimness/ loss of vision.
- Sudden dizziness/ loss of balance.
- Sudden severe headache.
To learn more about stroke care offered in our System, contact Susan Gaunt, RN, MS, CCRN, at 678-312-2504.