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How Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Built a Stroke Program That Performs Across Every Facility

By: | Tags: , , , , , | May 28th, 2026

Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System delivers consistent stroke care across its network, including Spartanburg Medical Center and Pelham Medical Center, in a state that carries one of the highest stroke burdens in the country. South Carolina sits in the stroke belt. For a health system committed to keeping patients close to home, that geography shapes every clinical decision the team makes.

A Program Built Around One Standard

Shana Green, Stroke Program Manager at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, describes a program that has continuously evolved, driven by a single principle: do what is best for the patient. That standard does not vary by facility size, shift, or patient volume. It applies at the flagship and at every hospital in the network.

Building to that standard required a clinical support structure that could meet the team where the work happens. With board-certified neurologists available on screen in under three minutes and a dedicated Quality Program Specialist embedded in daily program operations, Spartanburg Regional built workflows grounded in evidence-based protocols and sustained through ongoing collaboration rather than one-time implementation.

What the Results Look Like at the Facility Level

Pelham Medical Center reduced door-in/door-out transfer times from a median of 160 minutes to transfers completed in as little as 49 minutes. That shift is documented and attributable to specific changes in workflow and clinical support.

Trevor Setzer, RN, Charge Nurse at Pelham Medical Center, describes the change from the floor: the specialist is present and ready to evaluate the patient the moment the cart reaches the room. The response does not wait for the team to settle. It is already there. Kellie Geater, RN, Stroke Program Coordinator at Pelham Medical Center, points to the consistency of that response as the foundation of how the team now operates under stroke alert conditions.

Wendy Yaworski, RN, Quality Program Specialist, maintains active collaboration with the Spartanburg Regional team between activations, reinforcing protocols and tracking program-level performance across both facilities. The quality relationship is continuous, not episodic.

What This Demonstrates for Health System and Hospital Leaders

For chief medical officers and medical directors evaluating neurologist coverage gaps, the Spartanburg Regional experience reflects what is achievable when specialist response is consistent, protocol adoption is supported, and quality oversight extends beyond the acute moment.

For stroke program coordinators and quality directors working toward Joint Commission or DNV certification, the program at Pelham Medical Center demonstrates that community facilities can achieve transfer time benchmarks and documentation standards that reflect a high-performing stroke program regardless of facility size.

For chief executives at critical access hospitals and community health systems navigating specialist shortages and geographic stroke risk, this is what a sustainable clinical support structure looks like when it is operating at the system level rather than the facility level.

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