Stroke remains a leading cause of death in California and across the U.S. — even as new data from the American Heart Association show a slight decline in cardiovascular deaths since 2023. Too many strokes remain preventable, and too many patients aren’t getting care fast enough.
That’s the gap California-based not-for-profit Sutter Health is working to close.
Building a faster stroke system
Across the communities it serves, Sutter is scaling a stroke system built for prevention, speed and impact. As tens of thousands of Californians experience a stroke each year, the goals are simple: to help more people reduce their risk and ensure fast, coordinated care when a stroke occurs.
Sutter’s advanced neuroscience services include more than 150 neurologists and neurointerventional surgeons across 17 stroke-certified stroke centers, spanning the full continuum of care: from early detection and risk management to emergency treatment, rehabilitation and recovery. The differentiator is how quickly that care activates.
Sutter pairs bedside expertise with real-time technology. This includes 24/7 telestroke consults that connect emergency teams to board-certified specialists within minutes, a Mobile Stroke Unit equipped for on-the-spot CT imaging, as well as advanced AI-enabled triage tools that accelerate diagnosis and treatment. For patients who need it, access to minimally invasive procedures that treat blood vessels from the inside like thrombectomy — which removes a blood clot from a blocked artery in the brain — can mean the difference between long-term disability and recovery.
Results that deliver for patients
Sutter’s systemwide focus on speed and coordination is translating into measurable outcomes.
Last year, the American Heart Association recognized 16 Sutter hospital campuses with the Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award — the highest level of recognition possible. Additionally, Becker’s Hospital Review named Sutter among its “100 Great Neuro and Spine Programs.”
“Improving outcomes extends far beyond the hospital walls,” said Dr. Nobl Barazangi, a vascular neurologist with Sutter West Bay Medical Group and the Sutter Advanced Neuroscience Service Line Chief of Stroke. “We’re caring for patients every step of the way — helping them lower their risk, reaching them quickly when a stroke occurs and surrounding them with the support they need to recover.”
In 2026, multiple Sutter hospitals were recognized for excellence in stroke care by Healthgrades — honors that reflect the consistency, expertise and teamwork required to deliver life-saving care on the clock.
Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Alta Bates Campus
- Stroke Care Excellence Award™ for 16 consecutive years
- Top 10% in the Nation for Treatment of Stroke for 16 consecutive years
- Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for 23 consecutive years
Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Summit Campus
- Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for 16 consecutive years
Sutter’s CPMC – Davies Campus
- Five-Star Recipient for Cranial Neurosurgery for four consecutive years
Sutter Davis Hospital
- Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for four consecutive years
Sutter’s Eden Medical Center
- Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for 20 consecutive years
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
- 2026 Stroke Care Excellence Award™
- Top 10% in the Nation for Treatment of Stroke
- Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for two consecutive years
Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center
- Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke
Sutter’s Mills-Peninsula Medical Center
- Stroke Care Excellence Award™ for seven consecutive years
- Top 10% in the Nation for Treatment of Stroke for seven consecutive years
- Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for seven consecutive years
Learn more about Sutter’s advanced neuroscience services.
