BLOOMINGTON, Ill. OSF St. Joseph Medical Center has been recertified a Primary Stroke Center with the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission. Following an April 9, 2009 on-site review, the Joint Commission reported that OSF St. Joseph Medical Center had no requirements for improvements noted.

Each year more than 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation's third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with close to 6.5 million stroke survivors alive today.

The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association's statements/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program in 2003.

OSF St. Joseph Medical Center provides comprehensive neuroscience care throughout the care continuum offering better patient outcomes, higher quality treatment, state-of-the-art equipment, and a highly qualified staff.

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.