Press Release from Ozarks Healthcare:
WEST PLAINS, MO – Already in 2026, Ozarks Healthcare has cared for 157 stroke patients. In 2025, the Stroke Team treated 289 stroke patients, reflecting the vital role the organization plays in providing specialized stroke care across south-central Missouri and northern Arkansas.
One of the most important measures of stroke care is door-to-needle time – the amount of time it takes from a patient’s arrival in the Emergency Department to receiving clot-busting medication. The American Heart Association recommends a benchmark of 60 minutes or less for eligible patients. Recently, the Ozarks Healthcare Stroke Team achieved a remarkable 17-minute door-to-needle time, demonstrating the team’s exceptional coordination and commitment to delivering life-saving treatment as quickly as possible.
“Every minute during a stroke matters because brain cells are lost each minute treatment is delayed,” Dr. Clara Applegate, neurologist at Ozarks Healthcare Neurology, said. “Our team’s ability to consistently deliver rapid, evidence-based care is making a real difference for patients and families throughout our region.”
As a designated Level II Primary Stroke Center, Ozarks Healthcare provides advanced imaging, around-the-clock emergency care, access to neurology expertise through both on-site and telemedicine resources, evidence-based treatment protocols, and comprehensive rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy to support recovery.
Ozarks Healthcare has been providing 24/7 stroke coverage for nearly three decades and treated its first patient with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the clot-busting medication used to treat eligible ischemic strokes, in October 1996. Today, the organization’s Stroke Program continues to evolve through rapid response protocols, advanced technology, and a multidisciplinary team dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes.
The Stroke Program is led by Applegate, who has served the community for more than 35 years, alongside Lindsey Crain, Stroke Coordinator, and a highly trained team of emergency physicians, nurses, radiology and CT technologists, laboratory staff, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, rehabilitation therapists, EMS partners, and Washington University neurologists providing telestroke consultation – ensuring rapid evaluation and treatment when every second counts.
Ozarks Healthcare has once again been recognized by the American Heart Association for its commitment to delivering exceptional, evidence-based stroke care, earning the Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus achievement award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll distinctions, along with the Get With The Guidelines® – Rural Stroke Gold award.
The awards recognize hospitals that consistently follow the latest research-based treatment guidelines to improve outcomes for stroke patients, helping save lives, reduce disability, and decrease hospital readmissions.
“These awards reflect our team’s unwavering commitment to providing timely, high-quality stroke care for patients throughout the region,” Terence Farrell, Ozarks Healthcare President and CEO, said. “By following nationally recognized treatment guidelines and continually improving our processes, we’re ensuring our patients have access to advanced stroke care close to home when every second counts.”
The Get With The Guidelines® program, developed by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, helps hospitals nationwide align patient care with the latest scientific evidence and best practices.
For more information about Ozarks Healthcare, visit www.ozarkshealthcare.com.
