Stroke

Holy Cross Health's Primary Stroke Centers Deliver Award-Winning Stroke Care

Holy Cross Health is committed to providing consistent, high-quality care that saves lives and improves outcomes for stroke patients. Holy Cross Health's two hospitals, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital in Germantown, Md., and Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md., are designated as Primary Stroke Centers delivering top-quality stroke care, and both have earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. 

This national and state recognition demonstrates that Holy Cross Germantown Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital have met a number of important guidelines for the speedy diagnosis and provide top-quality care to patients suffering from neurological stroke, including "mini-stroke," called a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Holy Cross Health's award-winning stroke programs are part of the health system's comprehensive Neuroscience program. 

Recognized for Excellence  
Holy Cross Health's stroke awards and recognition include the following:

• Primary Stroke Center designation by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) for Holy Cross Germantown Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital.
• Primary Stroke Center certification by The Joint Commission, the national credentialing organization for hospitals, for Holy Cross Hospital. The same standards of stroke care are upheld at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. 
• 2022 Get with the Guidelines^®- Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award for Holy Cross Hospital.
• 2022 Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Award for Holy Cross Hospital and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award for Holy Cross Hospital from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
• 2021 Get with the Guidelines^®- Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award for Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.
• 2021 Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award for Holy Cross Germantown Hospital from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Rapid Response Team 
Care begins in the Emergency Room with our Stroke Rapid Response Team, a group of experts who respond to every stroke emergency — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The team works to quickly diagnose patients who suffer strokes so that they can benefit from early treatment, which may include medication to restore blood flow to the brain. Given within 4.5 hours of the first stroke symptom, a clot bluster medication called Alteplase (tPA-Tissue Plasminogen Activator) can break up the blood clot that causes a stroke. Patients are also evaluated for a large vessel occlusion within 24 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms in case the patient requires an endovascular intervention. Learn to recognize the signs of a stroke.

Critical Care 
Holy Cross Health's stroke programs also include inpatient care, and intensive treatment for complex or life-threatening strokes in the Critical Care Unit at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, and the Neuro Critical Care Unit at Holy Cross Hospital.

Rehabilitation 
At Holy Cross Health, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, neurologists and hospitalists assess all stroke patients and develop a "functional recovery" plan. Using this plan, a team of physical, occupational and speech therapists helps patients reach their highest level of functioning and their best possible recovery.