Pen Bay Medical Center is a community hospital dedicated to providing effective and efficient stroke care to the people of Midcoast Maine. We are committed to providing efficient and quality stroke care to the people of Midcoast Maine. We collaborate with all members of the healthcare team in the stroke care continuum with a common goal of optimizing health and quality of life of people with stroke.
-- Pen Bay Medical Center Stroke Center Mission Statement
The Pen Bay Medical Center Primary Stroke Center was first recognized by The Joint Commission in 2007.
In 2012, Pen Bay became the first hospital in Maine to receive these two awards: the Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Target: Stroke Honor Roll award.
(l-r) Dr. Rebecca Graboso, Joint Commission, Dr. Robert Stein, Eileen Hawkins, RN
The Stroke Center at Pen Bay Medical Center isn't a room. It's a system of stroke care – a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to collaborative treatment and healing. It's a patient-centered focus on stroke detection and management across the entire healthcare spectrum, from emergency medical services through rehabilitation.
Everyone -- from emergency medical technicians in the community who will respond to a 911 call for an ambulance to the doctors and nurses in every department at Pen Bay Medical Center; the physical therapists and the pharmacists at the Pen Bay dispensary and the personnel who handle home-care visits:
We've covered all elements of stroke care in a center approved by The Joint Commission (TJC). And we're proud to say that Pen Bay is one of three certified Primary Care Stroke Centers in Maine.
Pen Bay treats between 160 and 180 patients for stroke each year. Nationally, someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 45 seconds – that's approximately 700,000 people annually, according to the American Heart Association.
It’s important to remember that stroke is a medical emergency. If you or someone you're with experiences signs of a stroke, call 911 right away. Precious minutes can save precious lives.
What are the signs and symptoms of stroke?
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
A person experiencing warning signs of stroke may have only one, or seveal of these warning signs. Medical treatment should be sought immediately when any of these warning signs suddenly appear.
Reviewed and updated: 2012-05-17