Stroke Care

A full range of treatment options

As a medical center certified as a Primary Stroke Center, Adventist Health White Memorial has proven its ability to deliver high-quality stroke care. Part of Adventist Health White Memorial's commitment to delivering high-quality stroke care is having a neurologist available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Our stroke care is coordinated from the moment of first contact in the emergency room, throughout treatment and during rehabilitation if needed. The medical center also has an inpatient unit designed specifically to treat stroke patients. Our staff have received specialized training in stroke care and how to administer new stroke treatments.

Being admitted to our stroke program

The stroke program developed a medical center wide protocol that is immediately triggered when a stroke patient is brought to the emergency room. First, the "stroke alert" code is announced. The trained and certified interdisciplinary stroke team quickly arrives to conduct all necessary tests.

If the patient meets the criteria, they receive tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a blood-thinning medication that can reduce the effects of a stroke. The patient is then admitted for specialty stroke care. Adventist Health White Memorial is committed to rapidly identifying, transporting and treating stroke patients for best-practice outcomes.

The stroke program is evaluated against The Joint Commission standards. This assessment reviews the program's processes, the program's ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and interviews with patients and staff.

The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association's statements/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program — the nation's first — in 2003. A list of programs certified by The Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.

Serving patients throughout Los Angeles

Adventist Health White Memorial is one of 12 certified Primary Stroke Centers in Los Angeles County and the only one covering downtown and East Los Angeles areas. The Los Angeles County board of supervisors recently announced that ambulances with suspected stroke patients are being diverted to facilities certified as a Primary Stroke Center with a specialized stroke neurologist available on-call always.

And as a nonprofit, faith-based hospital, Adventist Health White Memorial's culturally sensitive, bilingual staff cares deeply about the complete needs of the patient. Adventist Health White Memorial accepts Medicare, Medi-Cal and private health plans, including most HMOs.

Download the Heart and Stroke Signs and Symptoms Guide (English)
Descarga la guia saber los sintomas de ataques al Corazón y el Cerebro (Español)

For more information about the stroke center at Adventist Health White Memorial, please call (323) 268-5000, ext. 6961.

If you need a physician or specialist for any reason, please contact our Physician Referral number at (323) 265-5050.