Stroke Resources & FAQs

Because your life matters.

Very few hospitals in the Northwest are equipped to handle every type of stroke, in every situation, every second of the day. You can count on Virginia Mason Franciscan Health for comprehensive stroke care 24/7. This is vitally important because when it comes to stroke, every second counts.

To survive a stroke—and to prevent or minimize long-term disabilities—it is vital to get the best possible treatment in the fastest possible time.

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is nationally recognized for our stroke care and offers two Comprehensive Stroke Centers certified by the international accredited registrar and classification society DNV-GL. Certification involves a rigorous assessment process that examines how well an organization meets strict standards and clinical best practices.

Experts staffing our comprehensive stroke center include: 

• Interventional radiologists
• Endovascular neurosurgeons
• Neurointerventional radiologists
• Neurologists
• Intensive care physicians
• Emergency department physicians
• Critical care nurses
• Respiratory therapists
• Physical, occupational and speech therapists

Our endovascular lab is equipped with tools for breaking up and removing large blood clots that cause severe strokes. The results have been remarkable, especially for people who receive rapid stroke treatment. That’s why having experts available around-the-clock is so important.

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s stroke centers are among the largest in the state, which is beneficial for patients given the expertise we have developed as a result. Yet we’re still able to provide a 1:1 care level for acute stroke patients that is simply not possible in some higher-volume facilities.

While most hospitals review their patient data after discharge to make sure appropriate care was provided, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health does this monitoring in real time—while the patient is still in the hospital. At Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, we continually compare our quality with other comprehensive stroke centers to ensure we’re a leader in stroke care.

Our care continues after a patient leaves the hospital. We have doctors who specialize in caring for stroke patients after their discharge from the hospital. And our stroke support group connects stroke survivors and their caregivers with others recovering from a stroke. It also offers key information about managing daily activities.

Being a certificated stroke center requires an extraordinary commitment to providing appropriate resources and expert staff seven days a week, 24 hours a day. At Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, we believe our patients are worth it.

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s Center for Neurosciences & Spine offers educational classes and support groups for brain tumor support, stroke support and multiple sclerosis. Learn more about Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s classes and support groups.

• Join our Tacoma/Peninsula Stroke Support Group, available in person or via zoom. Learn more.