Comprehensive stroke care for Pensacola residents

The benefit of Sacred Heart Pensacola’s Comprehensive Stroke Center

When a stroke occurs, every second matters. Access to advanced, specialized stroke care close to home can make a life-changing difference for patients and families. Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola is Northwest Florida’s Comprehensive Stroke Center, placing it among the top 10% of stroke programs nationwide. Designations are awarded for excellence in the education, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of stroke.

What is a Comprehensive Stroke Center?

A Comprehensive Stroke Center is the highest level of stroke care designation available. These centers are equipped to treat the most complex and severe stroke cases, including large vessel occlusions, hemorrhagic strokes, and patients requiring advanced neurointerventional procedures.

To earn this designation, hospitals must meet rigorous standards for staffing, technology, treatment protocols, data reporting, and around-the-clock availability of specialized stroke experts.

Why is having a Comprehensive Stroke Center important for a community?

Having a Comprehensive Stroke Center in the community means patients have immediate access to advanced stroke care without the delays associated with transfers to distant facilities. Time lost during a stroke can result in permanent disability or death, so receiving expert treatment as quickly as possible is critical.

For Northwest Florida, Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola serves as a regional resource, ensuring patients receive the highest level of care close to home when every minute counts.

How does a Comprehensive Stroke Center improve patient outcomes?

Comprehensive Stroke Centers are proven to improve outcomes because they combine advanced technology, specialized expertise, and coordinated care teams. Patients benefit from:

• Faster diagnosis and treatment
• Access to advanced procedures like mechanical thrombectomy (a medical procedure to remove a blood clot) and TNK treatment or Tenecteplase (a powerful medication to dissolve blood clots)
• Continuous neurological monitoring
• Multidisciplinary care from stroke-trained physicians, nurses, and therapists

These capabilities help reduce disability, improve recovery, and increase survival rates.

What makes Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola a leader in stroke care?

Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola is Northwest Florida’s Comprehensive Stroke Center, placing it among the top 10% of stroke programs in the nation. This distinction reflects a high level of clinical excellence, experience, and commitment to evidence-based stroke care.

The program offers advanced imaging, leading-edge technology, and specialized neurointerventional expertise to manage the most complex stroke cases. As a regional leader, Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola supports surrounding hospitals and emergency services to ensure patients across the region receive timely access to expert care.

What role does advanced technology play in stroke treatment?

Advanced technology is essential in modern stroke care. Comprehensive Stroke Centers use sophisticated imaging and interventional tools to quickly identify the type and severity of a stroke and deliver precise treatment.

At Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, this technology allows care teams to perform complex procedures, monitor patients closely, and adjust treatment plans in real time, leading to better outcomes and safer care.

How does a Comprehensive Stroke Center support long-term recovery?

Stroke care doesn’t end after emergency treatment. Comprehensive Stroke Centers provide coordinated care that extends into rehabilitation and recovery. Patients benefit from early therapy interventions, personalized recovery plans, and seamless transitions to inpatient rehabilitation or outpatient services when needed.

This integrated approach supports physical, cognitive, and emotional recovery while helping patients regain independence and quality of life.

Why should community members feel confident in their local stroke care?

Knowing that your community is served by a Comprehensive Stroke Center brings peace of mind. It means that if a stroke occurs, expert care, advanced technology, and specialized teams are already in place, ready to respond at any hour.

In 2025 alone, Ascension Sacred Heart received more than 1,650 stroke alerts, 109 TNK treatments, and 119 thrombectomies. 

What should you do if you or a loved one is experiencing stroke symptoms?

If you suspect a stroke, call 911 immediately and ask to be taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola.. Do not drive yourself or wait to see if symptoms improve. Emergency medical services can begin life-saving care right away and transport the patient to the nearest appropriate stroke center.

Remember the F.A.S.T. warning signs of stroke:

• B - Balance: watch for a sudden loss of balance
• E - Eyes: vision loss
• F - Face drooping: Does one side of the face droop or feel numb?
• A - Arm weakness: Is one arm weak or numb?
• S - Speech difficulty: Is speech slurred or hard to understand?
• T - Time to call 911: If you notice any of these signs, call 911 right away.

Other symptoms may include sudden confusion, trouble seeing, severe headache, dizziness, or loss of balance. Time-sensitive treatments are most effective when delivered quickly, and access to a Comprehensive Stroke Center like Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola can make a critical difference in outcomes.

Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola remains committed to advancing stroke care, improving outcomes, and serving as a trusted regional leader for Northwest Florida. We are also the only hospital in Northwest Florida to offer RN Stroke Navigators to help patients after they suffer a stroke. Learn more about Ascension Sacred Heart’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.