CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Prince Edward Island’s Stroke Care Program is among the first in the country to be recognized by Accreditation Canada with distinction in stroke service status, meeting national standards for stroke care excellence.
Achieving distinction indicates Health P.E.I.’s Stroke Care Program has demonstrated national leadership in the provision of high-quality stroke care to Islanders. Accreditation Canada’s distinction program is a voluntary process that takes place every four years.
“I extend my sincere congratulations to the Stroke Care Program staff and community partners on their hard work and commitment to achieving national recognition for a program that is changing the lives of hundreds of Islanders and their families every year,” said Health and Wellness Minister Robert Mitchell.
“This program is a wonderful example of our commitment to supporting Islanders with services that meet, and strive to exceed, national standards of care.”
As part of the accreditation process, Accreditation Canada’s team of surveyors, all experts in their respective health care fields, visited Prince Edward Island last summer to assess the stroke program on three sets of standards of care: providing an integrated system of services to people with stroke, acute stroke services and in-patient stroke rehabilitation services.
Trish Helm-Neima, provincial stroke program co-ordinator, said a stroke can be a life-changing experience for patients and their families, so the province is fortunate to have an “incredible team of health care providers who work together to ensure patients are able to enjoy a quality of life that they deserve following a stroke.”
On Prince Edward Island, about four out of every 1,000 Islanders will suffer their first stroke each year. More than 470 Islanders suffered a stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) last year and more than 4,500 Islanders living today are stroke survivors.
For more information about P.E.I.’s Stroke Care Program, visit Healthpei.ca/stroke.
