Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center has earned the nation’s highest level of stroke certification after being designated an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Joint Commission. St. Mary’s is the only hospital in the region with this designation.
This elite status recognizes facilities equipped to manage the most complex stroke cases. To qualify, centers must meet rigorous requirements, including 24/7 availability of specialized neurosurgery, neurointerventional procedures and neurocritical care.
Life-saving stroke care close to home: One woman’s journey
Providing stroke care has been a mainstay at St. Mary’s for decades, and the thoroughness of this life-saving program isn’t lost on patients.
In 2024, Marlys McKinstry had a brain aneurysm rupture, abruptly causing a life-or-death situation.
Marlys was rushed to St. Mary’s, a decision her daughter, Kristen, calls life-saving.
“I thought she was going to die,” Kristen recalled. “Yet her care team, from top to bottom, was compassionate, communicative and they treated her with a lot of dignity. We couldn’t be happier.”
Because the aneurysm had ruptured, Marlys was suffering from a hemorrhagic stroke, causing bleeding in the brain. She was unconscious and having seizures in the emergency department.
Within an hour, Marlys was intubated. She was hospitalized from July 18 to Aug. 28.
The rupture left Marlys unconscious for nearly three weeks. When she awoke, time had blurred; she thought only a day had passed. Dr. Vikram Jadhav (“Dr. Vik”), an interventional neurologist at Essentia Health, explained the gravity of the situation. It was one of the largest aneurysms he had ever seen.
“Somebody has his hand on you,” he told the family. “You’re here for a purpose.”
During her time at Essentia, Marlys, then 83, got to know her care team quite well and couldn’t have been happier with her care.
“My nurse Julian’s kindness made such an impression that I wanted him to be my in-home nurse while I finished recovery,” she said. “Even after I was transferred out of the ICU, he made a special goodbye visit to me.”
Marlys required additional procedures to repair damage and address a second growing aneurysm. Recovery has been steady but challenging. She has undergone extensive physical therapy, with ongoing pulmonology, neurology and cardiology follow-up at Essentia.
“I think I’ve made a very good comeback,” said Marlys. “I feel blessed to be alive. My care was excellent and I’m really grateful for the team at Essentia for getting me back on my feet.”
New designation highlights improved patient care
The Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center designation follows a thorough on-site review, verifying compliance with national standards for program management, clinical care, performance measurement and patient outcomes.
For patients in the Northland, this means faster access to life-saving interventions without long-distance transfers. Comprehensive centers reduce mortality, minimize disability and improve recovery through prompt clot removal, aneurysm treatment and coordinated rehabilitation.
“This designation is a direct reflection of the extraordinary teamwork across our organization,” said Dr. Vik. “This achievement shows what is possible when everyone is aligned around a shared goal. Most importantly, it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to continually improving the quality of care we provide and ensuring patients across our region have access to the highest level of stroke care, close to home.”
Stroke remains a major threat: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. someone has a stroke every 40 seconds, and it causes about 160,000 deaths annually.
“This underscores our commitment to delivering world-class stroke treatment right here in our community,” said Dr. Vik. “When every minute counts, patients can trust Essentia for expert, compassionate care.”
