About Our Stroke Program

The ChristianaCare Stroke Program includes services at Christiana Hospital, Wilmington Hospital, and the freestanding Middletown Emergency Department.

All three facilities have been awarded by The Joint Commission, a national certifying organization. Christiana Hospital has been recognized as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, the most advanced level of expertise in stroke care by The Joint Commission. Wilmington Hospital has been awarded as a Primary Stroke Center. Middletown Emergency Department has been awarded as an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital. 

Our program provides 24-7 availability of expertise in stroke care including neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neurointerventional radiologists. For patients who arrive within a few hours of the start of stroke symptoms, we offer a full range of emergency treatment options including medications and advanced surgical techniques to restore blood flow to the brain and prevent further brain injury.

Our expert physicians staff both The Lanny Edelsohn, M.D. Neuro Critical Care Unit, an 18-bed specialized intensive care unit for patients critically ill from severe stroke, and the 22 single bed Stroke Treatment and Recovery (STAR) unit, where patients prepare to leave the hospital and resume a healthy life. Nurses specially trained in stroke care work with patients and their families to maximize recovery in both the Neuro Critical Care and STAR units.

Patients are evaluated and treated by rehabilitation teams skilled in physical, occupational, speech, and cognitive therapies. We address each patient’s specific, individual needs for maximum recovery, and focus on patient and family goals in addition to the latest medical therapies for stroke. Dedicated case managers and social workers assist in the transition from the hospital to the next step in recovery. After leaving the hospital, expert consultation and continued care is provided by vascular (stroke) neurologists and rehabilitation specialists in the office setting.