The Stroke Center at Grady Memorial Hospital is one of the leaders in stroke care in the Southeast, thanks to the steadfast dedication and multi-specialty approach of its team in diagnosing and treating stroke patients.

In 2005, the Grady became the first "safety-net," public hospital in the United States to be certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. In 2007 Grady earned re-certification honors after the Joint Commission's two-year inspection.

Grady's multi-specialty approach in caring for persons who have suffered a stroke means treatment begins as soon as they arrive in the emergency room.

"Achieving excellence in stroke care at Grady requires a highly coordinated and interdisciplinary effort involving many individuals from almost every department in the hospital," says Dr. Michael R. Frankel, professor of neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, and chief of neurology for the Grady Health System.

Dr. Frankel has been working in the field of acute stroke research since 1992. Under his leadership Grady has hosted major clinical trials in stroke therapies, and it was the first hospital in the Southeast to have a round-the-clock stroke team.