Stroke Care
Dedicated to your recovery
When it comes to limiting brain damage and lifelong disabilities from a stroke, every second counts. As a Joint Commission Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, Community Hospital is among an elite group of hospitals nationwide to provide the highest level of expertise and treatment of the most complex acute strokes.
Supported by the certified Primary Stroke Centers at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, our hospitals deliver exceptional care so stroke patients and those at risk can live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Powers Health works with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers to identify stroke symptoms earlier. With this collaboration, our stroke teams are able to quickly mobilize before a patient arrives in the Emergency Department. Patients can be moved directly from the ambulance to a 64-slice computerized tomography (CT) scanner to quickly identify the type of stroke. This rapid assessment ensures that patients who arrive within the necessary timeframe can benefit from tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, which can restore blood flow and limit brain damage.
Each of our acute care hospitals has obtained the Gold Seal of Approval™ from the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers for providing stroke care that significantly improves outcomes. Patients are cared for in dedicated stroke units by a team of nurses, therapists and other medical professionals trained in stroke care.
Powers Health hospitals have a record of implementing breakthroughs in medical science, such as carotid stent placement and surgical procedures to restore blood flow to the brain for optimal recovery.
Continued support for patients in their recovery is available through services from our rehabilitation centers, home health and Hartsfield Village, a skilled nursing facility in Munster.
Our stroke specialists focus on stroke prevention through a combination of medication and lifestyle adjustments. We offer a series of free educational programs for patients and their families with our rehabilitation centers. Through education and awareness, we are working to decrease the risk of debilitation and help improve quality of life for our patients.
Evaluate your risk of stroke through our free stroke assessment here.
Community Hospital
Stroke Program Coordinators: Deborah Lawrence, stroke fellowship-trained adult clinical nurse specialist and Sheri Reed, registered nurse
Phone: 219-836-1600 ext. 1422
St. Catherine Hospital
Stroke Program Coordinator: Kristen Helfrich, registered nurse and stroke care specialist
Phone: 219-392-7789
St. Mary Medical Center
Stroke Program Coordinator: April Schutter, neuroscience registered nurse and stroke care specialist
Phone: 219-947-6344
