Rowan Regional Medical Center provides comprehensive clinical care for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and nerve disorders, including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, muscles and neurobehavioral disorders. Rowan Regional Medical Center is certified as a stroke center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The designation is awarded to health care facilities that have demonstrated excellence in healthcare quality and have met the rigorous national standards and performance measurements for stroke care established by the Joint Commission and the American Stroke Association.

As part of the certification process, a “stroke code response team” was formed at Rowan Regional Medical Center. Now, when a stroke victim arrives at the Emergency Department, a special code is activated. After the stroke patient is examined by a physician and a CT scan performed on the victim’s brain, physicians make the decision about the appropriate care for the patient, including possible use of clot-busting drugs that can reverse the physical and mental effects caused by strokes.

What is a Stroke?
Commonly called “brain attacks” because they destroy brain cells, strokes affect about 750,000 Americans each year and are a leading cause of severe, long-term disability. A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel or artery, or when a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain.

Treatment for stroke is most effective when started immediately. If you, or someone you know, experience the warning signs of a stroke, get to the Emergency Department at Rowan Regional Medical Center immediately. Our hospital is a Certified Primary Stroke Centers, which means that you'll receive comprehensive stroke care by a team of highly trained specialists.

In the past, there were few treatments for stroke victims. Now there are therapeutic drugs that dissolve blood clots and restore normal functions in many cases. But stroke victims should get to a hospital immediately since the drugs can be administered only in the first few hours after the onset of a stroke.