Stroke Care and Rehabilitation

Stroke is one of the nation’s leading causes of death and a major cause of serious, long-term disability. Desert Care Network’s three-hospital system can provide care close to your home when every minute counts.

Desert Care Network is home to our area’s only Comprehensive Stroke Center, headquartered at Desert Regional Medical Center. JFK Memorial Hospital is a certified Primary Stroke Center and Hi-Desert Medical Center is a certified Stroke-Ready Hospital, connected via tele-medicine to doctors who can provide quick diagnosis and start medication to treat the blood clots that cause most strokes. When more advanced care is needed, our doctors can rapidly transfer patients directly to Desert Regional, which provides 24-hour access to some of the latest interventional technologies in stroke care. In addition to targeting blood clots, our neuro-critical care specialists can use minimally invasive techniques to treat bleeding in the brain – which is the second major cause of stroke.

When it comes to stroke, doctors tell us that “time is brain.” The hospitals of Desert Care Network are dedicated to providing quick diagnosis and treatment of stroke in order to minimize disability and get our patients back to their daily lives.

Spot a Stroke: BE FAST

If you are in the hospital and see a person showing any of the BE FAST symptoms, find the nearest employee for help activating our EMERGENCY CODE system and Rapid Response Team.

If you are in public and see a person showing any of the BE FAST symptoms, call 9-1-1 for help.

Remember that time is important, do not wait to see if symptoms go away - get help fast!

Our network includes:

• A dedicated neurological critical-care unit
• An advanced angio suite for conducting minimally invasive vascular and endovascular procedures
• An in-patient acute rehabilitation unit, and
• Long-term care, including outpatient rehabilitation

Neurological Critical Care

The critical-care unit is staffed by a neurointensivist – a physician who takes a team approach in working closely with surgeons, radiologists, ER staff, pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists and other care providers in neurologic emergencies. Neurointensivists are specially trained to treat critical neurological conditions – such as acute ischemic stroke, aneurysm and hemorrhage.

Interventional Neurology

Neurointervention allows doctors to use highly specialized techniques, where possible, to avoid conventional open surgery of the brain and spine. It has become essential for comprehensive stroke care.

Award-Winning Stroke Care

At Desert Care Network, we are committed to high-quality stroke care. Desert Regional Medical Center has received the 2023 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With the Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. JFK Memorial Hospital has received the 2023 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With the Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Hi-Desert Medical Center has received the 2023 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With the Guidelines® Rural Stroke Quality Achievement Award. These awards are received for applying the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatment guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes of our communities.

Desert Regional Medical Center is also the Coachella Valley’s only DNV-GL Accredited Comprehensive Stroke Center, which represents the most advanced stroke treatment available in our area.

Contact Us

Our program coordinators are available for information and community outreach. If you have questions about stroke care at our hospitals, you can reach our coordinators at the following numbers:

Kendalyn Zerebny, BSN, RN
Stroke Coordinator
Desert Regional Medical Center
(760) 323-6749

Terilee Povall, RN
Stroke Coordinator
JFK Memorial Hospital
(760) 775-8034

Jorge Miranda, RN, MICN
Trauma Program Manager, Stroke Coordinator
Hi-Desert Medical Center
(760) 366-6712