Lakeside Memorial receives Stroke Center designation

Lakeside Memorial receives Stroke Center designation

Lakeside Memorial Hospital has received designation as a Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health. The certification is given to hospitals that meet the operational recommendations established by the National Stroke Association. Rigorous training and education must be completed in order to receive the designation. New York is looking to standardize the rapid assessment and management of a stroke patient's care. In order to meet those standards, Lakeside has committed to round-the-clock care for patients by staff with stroke-specific training and education and state-of-the-art technology to assess strokes.

On October 3, Michelle Storm, P.A. and the stroke center coordinator, received a plaque from Kevin Nacy, CEO Lakeside Health System, for her dedication and hard work. "Michelle's leadership in helping us gain this designation has been outstanding. We are very grateful to her," Nacy said.

M. Kasaraneni, M.D. FACEP, leads the team as medical director of the Stroke Center. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. "Dr. Kas has many years of Emergency Room experience and we are gratified that the state recognizes the quality of care delivered and the expertise available at Lakeside," said Dr. James Szalados, VP of Medical Affairs for Lakeside.

"Stroke is an emergency medical condition. There is a real need to assess, diagnose and manage a person with stroke symptoms quickly," Kas said. "The window to administer certain beneficial drugs is time limited. We want people who live in Western Monroe, Orleans and Genesee counties to know that they need only travel to Brockport to receive the 'gold standard' for stroke care. Coming to a closer facility will improve the outcome of treatment," he continues. One of the most important aspects of the designation is the commitment to continuous training of staff and community education and outreach. "We see the educational aspects of the designation an exciting opportunity to help teach the community about stroke risks and prevention," Storm said. "Our role in providing disease prevention information is critical to the long term health of our community. We are committed to the 'Protecting 5 Million Lives Campaign' and we believe that preventing and quickly diagnosing stroke is one of the foundations of that responsibility."