Print edition: 
Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital has earned a Gold Seal of Approval for its stroke rehabilitation program.
The disease-specific certification comes from the Joint Commission, the organization that accredits and certifies health care facilities and their programs.
The certification is for two years and was effective April 7, according to the Joint Commission.
To earn the Gold Seal of Approval, a disease-management program must apply, submit data and undergo an on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers. Wesley Rehab's site visit was April 6.
Pam Stanberry, CEO of Wesley Rehab, said a team of nurses, physicians and others worked for more than a year to prepare for the certification, gathering data and "making sure we were taking the very best care of stroke patients."
She said the team focused on the way the hospital was providing education to patients and helping them with functional improvement, swallowing and mobility — areas that often are troublesome for stroke patients.
Stanberry said the hospital applied for the Joint Commission certification because "we want to make sure that the quality that we provide our patients is in keeping with national standards.... This allows us to benchmark ourselves against the other rehabilitation hospitals in the nation for quality outcomes and improvements."
Because the Joint Commission has stringent standards and the effort was led by the hospital's staff, the certification is "an exciting accomplishment," she said.
Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, at 8338 W. 13th St., is a 65-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital and an affiliate of HealthSouth. In 2007, HealthSouth designated Wesley Rehab as a Stroke Center of Excellence.
