Hospital now receives 9-1-1 patients suffering the most serious types of strokes
St. Francis Medical Center, a member of Prime Healthcare, received Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) designation from the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency of Los Angeles County, effective February 10, 2025. St. Francis will now operate as a CSC for L.A. County and can receive 9-1-1 patients experiencing the most serious types of strokes.
St. Francis CEO Clay Farell said, “This designation is significant because it expands access to care to a wider range of stroke patients. Prior to this designation, stroke patients in our community assessed with certain types of blockages were taken to CSCs sometimes as far away as Torrance or downtown Los Angeles — and time is critical with stroke.” Farell continued, “Now these patients can be treated at St. Francis with quicker access to our skilled multidisciplinary team of specialists and advanced imaging and biplane catheterization capabilities, giving them the best chance for optimal recovery.”
St. Francis was certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center in 2014 and became part of the L.A. County EMS stroke center system that same year. Since then, St. Francis has been dedicated to advancing its stroke care capabilities. In June 2023, it acquired a new biplane cardiovascular and interventional imaging system, enabling the hospital to perform minimally-invasive clot removal from the brain using endovascular thrombectomy procedures. Shortly thereafter, the hospital completed the rigorous process of becoming a certified thrombectomy-capable stroke center by The Joint Commission, which recognized the hospital’s attainment of specific standards for program management, data collection and measurements, and the spectrum of stroke care from the pre-hospital phase through the rehabilitation process.
St. Francis Neurointerventional Surgeon Pradeep Selvan, MD, explained that the new designation specifically allows for St. Francis to receive patients through the EMS system designated as having severe stroke symptoms and most likely a large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke. Dr. Selvan said, “Surgical treatment of LVO stroke is one of the most effective therapies in medicine. Now patients in Southeast L.A., which has one of the highest rates of stroke but limited access to advanced care, can get immediate lifesaving treatment should they suffer a major stroke. St Francis is now a regional leader in the fight against neuro emergencies having been a busy trauma center for years and now as a comprehensive stroke center. It is an honor to work alongside my colleagues for the patients in this community.”
St. Francis treats more than 500 stroke patients each year. As a designated CSC, the hospital can expect to treat even more patients annually.
Comprehensive stroke center designation represents the collaborative effort of an entire stroke team comprising physicians, nurses, technologists, and support staff across the hospital, including the emergency department, neuro interventional lab, catheterization lab, intensive care unit, stroke telemetry unit, rehabilitation, stroke program coordinators, hospital neurologists and neurointerventionalists, and hospital leadership. In addition, it requires coordination with first responders who provide pre-hospital care and transport for stroke patients.
St. Francis Chief Medical Officer Anantjit Singh, MD, points to the trust and confidence it builds in the community. He stated, “This designation highlights the hospital’s dedication to excellence and provides a framework to improve patient outcomes. It reflects the top tier talent we have on our team and demonstrates the physicians’, staffs’, and hospital leaders’ commitment to advancing our continuum of care and putting within the reach of every patient the highest standard of clinical service.”
