Texas Health Plano Helping Enhance Stroke Care in Collin and Denton Counties

PLANO, Texas - Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano has earned the DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification for the third consecutive time. Hospitals with this designation have established care teams to diagnose and treat stroke patients requiring acute intensive medical and surgical care, specialized testing, or interventional therapies.

Having first earned the three-year certification in 2020, Texas Health Plano continues to be recognized for consistently striving to provide high-quality neurological care to stroke patients in Collin and Denton counties and beyond. The hospital is one of nearly 50 Comprehensive Stroke Facilities in Texas.

"We've been blessed to serve North Texans at Texas Health Plano since 1991, and our Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification is just one of many examples of that commitment," said Clint Abernathy, M.H.A., hospital president. "With emergency services readily available, coupled with compassionate care, it makes for a winning combination to support patients and families when every moment matters."

Stroke ranks as the No. 4 cause of death in Texas, and some of the highest rates of stroke prevalence are in North Texas.

It's imperative for individuals to recognize stroke symptoms and remember the B.E. F.A.S.T. acronym, which stands for balance, eyes, face, arms, speech and time, said Ryan Cheung, D.O., a neurohospitalist on the Texas Health Plano medical staff*.

A stroke negatively affects the brain by cutting off blood supply and oxygen to vital brain cells, causing damage within seconds.

"In the medical community, we emphasize that time is brain, because every minute without proper blood flow, means nearly 2 million neurons can die," added Cheung, who also serves as the hospital's Comprehensive Stroke Program medical director. "Thankfully, rapid recognition of stroke and coordination of care at a Comprehensive Stroke Center can support better recovery opportunities, even for patients who experience a severe stroke. This certification demonstrates Texas Health Plano is adhering to rigorous, nationally recognized stroke-care standards- to make that happen."

The Comprehensive Stroke Program at Texas Health Plano includes 24-hour emergency services, rehabilitation and customized educational and support programs. Services are enhanced by neurovascular physicians on the medical staff and nurses and therapists specifically trained in stroke care. The program is also equipped with advanced automated stroke imaging technology, an intensive care unit and two hybrid neurointerventional operating suites, which involves dual X-ray machines to create detailed, three-dimensional images of blood vessels in the brain.

"The hybrid technology offers clearer images of the brain while helping limit radiation exposure," Cheung said. "Since it's close to the Emergency Department, it helps stroke care teams respond more quickly when patients need advanced stroke intervention."

The DNV stroke certification also highlights the successful and cohesive efforts of a multidisciplinary team, according to Jacob Tanel, M.S.N., APRN, AGACNP-BC, Texas Health Plano's Orthopedic Surgery and Neurosciences director.

"Our specialized care team provides the most critically ill patients with advanced stroke therapies, and this certification demonstrates our hard work being recognized consistently on a national level," Tanel said. "Above all else, we are truly invested in striving to provide high-quality care to every North Texan and maintaining a lifelong connection with our community."

The DNV certification is based on rigorous standards outlined by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. Since 2012, the organization has certified more than 340 hospitals nationwide.

*Doctors on the medical staffs practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health hospitals or Texas Health Resources. © 2026 Texas Health Resources.