Covenant Health Fort Sanders Regional logo

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center

Covenant Health System

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is recognized by The Joint Commission, the American Heart Association, and the American Stroke Association as a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center. This means we’re able to provide care for complex stroke cases in our region and that we meet standards of a Primary Stroke Center, plus make available advanced imaging techniques at our facility.

If you or a loved one suffer from a stroke, comprehensive, advanced care is available when and where you need it – close to home.

Meet the Stroke Team a doctor holds a printed mri of a brain

Meet Our Stroke Team

Our expert neurologists and neuroscience team are extensively trained, skilled on innovative technology, and continue to seek advances in stroke treatment through clinical trials and procedures not available anywhere else in East Tennessee.

Meet the Stroke Team

Why Trust Our Comprehensive Stroke Center?

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center’s Comprehensive Stroke Center is certified for advanced stroke care by expert physicians and staff, innovative technology, and advanced imaging techniques.

As a member of Covenant Health and the only Comprehensive Stroke Center in our network of stroke hospitals, the only stroke hospital network in East Tennessee, other hospitals transfer their patients to us when a higher level of care is needed.

a doctor sits in front of a computer and reviews mri images on the screen

2024 AHA Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Elite Plus Advanced Therapy Type 2 Diabetes logoWhen you need stroke care, our quality record speaks for itself – three out of four patients who receive treatment for a stroke at Fort Sanders Regional recover and walk out of our hospital.

In 2024, Fort Sanders Regional achieved the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines® Gold Plus Stroke Quality Achievement Award with Target: Elite Honor Roll, Target: Advanced Therapy and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.

We’re also home to the prestigious Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital Fort Sanders, East Tennessee’s elite rehabilitation hospital for stroke, spinal cord, and brain injury patients.

When you trust your stroke treatment and rehabilitation to us, you can rest assured you’re receiving the best care possible.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke?

A stroke is an attack on the blood vessels of your brain. Clinically known as a cerebrovascular accident, or CVA, a stroke is a sudden issue that occurs in the blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to your brain. Your brain relies on this steady supply to function. 

When the blood flow to an area of the brain is interrupted by a blocked or broken blood vessel, blood cannot reach the areas of your brain fed by these vessels. As a result, these areas of your brain start to get sick and die, deprived of the oxygen they need to survive. 

Without prompt medical treatment, including diagnostic screening and testing, neurology services, and rehabilitation, your brain is at increased risk of permanent damage, and even death. 

Strokes can result in lost or impaired mental and physical abilities. The degree of recovery for each patient is dependent on the amount of brain cells impacted and the areas of damage. Timing of treatment is often a crucial factor in stroke recovery prognosis.

Using the handy acronym, BE FAST, you can improve your ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke when they occur. 

Remember, time is of the essence when it comes to treating strokes. If you suspect you or a loved one is experiencing a stroke event, call 911 immediately! 

BE FAST—Your stroke symptom recognition guide

  • Balance—Is the person uncoordinated and having difficulty walking?
  • Eyes—Ask the person if they have double or blurred vision.
  • Face—Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
  • Arms—Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
  • Speech—Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Is the sentence repeated correctly?
  • Time for help—If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important.

How Can a Stroke Be Prevented?

Fortunately, when it comes to strokes, there are many risk factors that are under your control to change. Addressing these risk factors can lower your risk for suffering a stroke. 

And remember—they say time lost is brain lost with strokes, so it’s important you understand the warning signs and how to reduce your risk. 

View helpful prevention guidelines for minimizing your risk for stroke.

adult female hugging her senior mother

Stroke Patient Resources

As you familiarize yourself with services at our Comprehensive Stroke Center, symptoms and prevention, here are some helpful resources to guide you as you learn more: