St. Vincent’s Joins the Nation’s Top Hospitals with Comprehensive Stroke Certification

St. Vincent’s Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification.

St. Vincent’s underwent a rigorous, onsite review. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with program standards. The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance.

“Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification recognizes healthcare organizations committed to striving for excellence and fostering continuous improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer, The Joint Commission. “We commend St. Vincent’s Medical Center for using The Joint Commission certification process to reduce variation in clinical processes and to strengthen its clinical program to drive safer, higher quality and more compassionate care for individuals served.”

“We congratulate St. Vincent’s Medical Center for this outstanding achievement,” says Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Stroke Association. “This certification reflects its commitment to providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients.”

“We are proud to achieve this designation, which reflects the dedication of our multidisciplinary stroke team and our commitment to providing the highest level of care for our community,” said Stroke Director Jeremy Wells, MD, at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. “This certification affirms our ability to deliver world-class, rapid, evidence-based treatment for the most complex stroke patients.”

To prepare for the certification, St. Vincent’s Medical Center strengthened its stroke program by enhancing standardized protocols, expanding advanced neuroimaging, and improving coordination across care teams. The hospital also enhanced staff training to support rapid stroke recognition and treatment, while ensuring 24/7 access to specialized services, including neurosurgery and interventional care—delivering timely, comprehensive treatment when every second counts.

Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification is the highest level of stroke certification awarded by The Joint Commission and recognizes organizations with the infrastructure, staff, and training to receive and treat the most complex stroke cases. This designation positions St. Vincent’s Medical Center as a regional leader in stroke care, improving access to life-saving treatment for patients across the community and statewide.

This achievement is yet another example of how Hartford HealthCare’s acquisition of St. Vincent’s Medical Center has expanded access to high-quality, advanced care close to home for the community.

For more information, visit stvincents.org/comprehensivestroke.

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About Hartford HealthCare

With 37,000 colleagues, Hartford HealthCare’s unified culture enhances access, affordability, equity and excellence. Its care-delivery system — with more than 500 locations serving 185 towns and cities — includes two tertiary-level teaching hospitals, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, three community hospitals, a behavioral health network, a multispecialty physician group, a clinical care organization, a regional home care system, an array of senior care services, a mobile neighborhood health program and a comprehensive physical therapy and rehabilitation network. On average, Hartford HealthCare touches more than 23,000 lives every single day. The unique, system-wide Institute Model offers a unified high standard of care in crucial specialties at hospital and ambulatory sites across Connecticut offering unparalleled expertise at the most affordable cost. The institutes include: Ayer Neuroscience, Behavioral Health, Cancer, Digestive Health, Heart and Vascular, Orthopedics and Tallwood Urology & Kidney. Visit Hartford HealthCare at www.HartfordHealthCare.org and stay connected through newsletters and social media.

About St. Vincent’s Medical Center

Founded in 1903 by the Daughters of Charity, St. Vincent's Medical Center is a licensed 473-bed community teaching hospital, and a principle clinical partner for the Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. Equipped with new, state-of-the-art operating rooms, St. Vincent’s serves as a destination for complex and acute care, receiving patients from surrounding regions via LifeStar helicopter and ambulance.

As the nation’s first Care Partner of Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center, St. Vincent’s Medical Center and the newly opened Fairfield Cancer Center deliver the latest in cancer care technology. St. Vincent’s also provides a broad range of services across Fairfield County through a large multispecialty provider group and multiple urgent care, rehabilitation and ambulatory surgery centers. St. Vincent’s Special Needs provides specialized services for children and adults with multiple developmental disabilities and complex medical needs, such as cerebral palsy, acute brain injury and neuromuscular disorders.

In 2019, St. Vincent’s Medical Center joined Hartford HealthCare (HHC), Connecticut’s most comprehensive healthcare network. Through HHC’s system-wide institute model, patients have access to a unified high standard of care in crucial specialties at hospital and ambulatory sites across the state, offering unparalleled expertise and access. The institutes include: Ayer Neuroscience, Behavioral Health, Cancer, Digestive Health, Heart & Vascular, Orthopedics, and Tallwood Urology & Kidney.

In 2025, the American Hospital Association awarded Hartford HealthCare the Quest 4 Quality prize, recognizing the system’s leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health. St. Vincent’s Medical Center is the recipient of many regional designations and accolades.

For more information on programs and services, visit www.stvincents.org.