Lilly Rooks stood strong as she told the audience about the stroke she suffered six months ago while running for office in Levy County.
Rooks spoke at the UF Health Shands Comprehensive Stroke Center celebration Monday.
The center received the national comprehensive stroke center certification from The Joint Commission, which is a nonprofit independent organization that accredits, certifies and evaluates health care programs in the U.S. Two hospitals including Shands have received the certification in Florida along with about 78 hospitals in the nation.
“We continue to meet the needs where others can’t,” said Dr. Ed Jimenez, interim chief executive officer of UF Health Shands.
He said a plan was started seven years ago to develop Shands into a premiere facility for stroke patients.
Jimenez said Dr. Michael Waters and a team of doctors assembled to make this happen. Waters, the medical director of the stroke center, said the accreditation couldn’t have happened without the team.
“The goal was always in sight, and the desire to get there is our patients,” Waters said.
He said getting Shands certified was a long and tedious process.
“The goal is a very noble and worthy one, so that kind of makes the task of getting there very worthwhile,” Waters said.
Rooks ended the event by thanking all the doctors who helped her. After her recovery, Rooks said, she went on to win the election with 71 percent of Levy County’s votes.
“If everything hadn’t had happened the way it did, I wouldn’t have had this outcome,” Rooks said as she choked back tears.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 11/18/2014]
Lilly Rooks, a stroke survivor and former patient at UF Health Shands Hospital, addresses the crowd gathered at the celebration reception at UF Health Shands Hospital on Monday.
