HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe is striving to become a comprehensive stroke center through Det Norske Veritas group, which is the highest level of certification DNV offers. James Campbell, Montgomery County Hospital District chief, said in Montgomery County there are four comprehensive stroke centers—Houston Methodist The Woodlands, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, CHI St. Luke’s The Woodlands and HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood—with Conroe’s hospital in active pursuit to be the next on the list.
Campbell said although data shows there hasn't been an increase in reported strokes, the MCHD estimates there are 100 strokes a month being reported from the field to the hospital in the county.
To be a comprehensive stroke center, Campbell said it means the hospital is equipped with the technology, physicians and stroke care team to treat strokes. He said patients who are experiencing a stroke would need to be treated at a stroke-designated hospital for the highest level of care.
“Our mission is ... we want there to be equal care across the county,” Campbell said. “So if we have five comprehensive stroke centers, we would love for them all to perform at a high level so we can ensure everybody in Montgomery County has access to high-level stroke care.”
Strokes in Texas
Campbell said another stroke designation in the county will be valuable because the hospital district responds to 911 calls across the county, including areas where there isn’t a stroke-designated hospital nearby. He said as the county continues to grow, the MCHD looks to hospital designations for increased access in different regions of the county. Campbell said with HCA Conroe pursuing a stroke designation, it gives residents in the northern part of the county more options for treatment.
“We always ask our patients where they want to go,” Campbell said. “If they get their care at an HCA facility we want them to have that continuity of care in their stroke care, so we would take them to an HCA care facility.”
Matt Davis, HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe CEO, said the Conroe hospital has already been established as a primary stroke center but the comprehensive stroke center designation provides certification that they are equipped to handle stroke-related calls.
Robin Novakovic, committee chair for the Governor's EMS and Trauma Advisory Council Stroke Committee, said hospitals are unable to operate in the capacity of a stroke-designated facility without the certification. She said it is expected that patients expected of having a stroke are taken to hospitals with a designation.
Davis said due to Montgomery County experiencing rapid growth and expansion, the hospital recognizes the increasing demand for advanced health care services within the communities the hospital serves.
“Our commitment is to provide the highest quality of care to patients promptly and efficiently,” Davis said.
At the hospital, Davis said HCA Conroe has expanded its staff, recruited more doctors, upgraded equipment and renovated new areas to meet the increasing general demands from the community. Davis said as the community expands and attracts an increasing number of visitors, they have experienced a rise in patients across various medical conditions.
“HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe is committed to investing in stroke care and all other levels of care within our hospital,” Davis said.
