Dedham Resident and Hospital Colleagues Awarded for Offering Quality Stroke Care to Patients

For the third consecutive year, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital was awarded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the American Heart and American Stroke Associations for their stroke care.

Dedham resident, Margot Geffroy, MD, chief of neurology was very excited to see the hospital recieve both the "Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award" and the "Defect-free Care Award."

“Our stroke program is very pro-active. Everyone on the medical staff has been trained to recognize the warning signs of stroke and get the appropriate treatment plan in place immediately,” Geffroy said. “I am proud of all of the physicians, nurses and support staff who have worked hard to make BID-Needham the best place to be when every minute counts.”

The hospital also wants to remind everyone how important stroke detection really is.

"Immediate treatment is so critical in minimizing the life-threatening effects of a stroke,” BID-Needham President and CEO John Fogarty.

Here are the key signs and symptoms of stroke. The F.A.S.T. acronym is also an easy way to remember:

• Face: Does the face look uneven? Ask the person to smile
• Arm: Does one arm drift down? Ask the person to raise both arms
• Speech: Does the speech sound strange? Ask the person to repeat a phrase
• Time: If you observe these symptoms, call 9-1-1