For Immediate Release: July 11, 2011

Grady's Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center Expands Team

Contact: Jennie Olshaske
Phone: (404) 616-7084
E-mail: jolshaske@gmh.edu

The Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center at Grady Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce the addition of a new program director and new outreach manager to expand the availability of the center's expertise and services in the Southeast region.

Karen B. Seagraves

Karen B. Seagraves joins Grady as program director of the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center after 13 years at Atlanta's Northside Hospital where she served as the Neurosciences Clinical Nurse Specialist and Neuroscience and Stroke Program Coordinator for the three Northside Hospital campuses. As a stroke care expert, Seagraves is currently a reviewer for The Joint Commission's stroke division of disease specific programs.

Seagraves received her Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health degrees from Emory University. She earned a Master of Science degree in Adult Health Nurse Practitioner and Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist from Georgia State University, in addition to completing a Net Smart Stroke Fellowship in conjunction with Arizona State University and UAB Birmingham.

Kerrin Connelly

As the new Outreach Manager for the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center, Kerrin Connelly will work to expand the center's already successful multi-hospital referral network and enhance community outreach for Grady's neuroscience programs.

Connelly comes to Grady from the American Heart Association where she served as Manager for Health Quality Technology Solutions, overseeing the online component of the Association's Get With The Guidelines quality improvement programs. Connelly previously worked as a registered nurse for ten years after receiving her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health from The University of Connecticut.

"Karen Seagraves and Kerrin Connelly bring a wealth of experience to the stroke center," says Dr. Michael Frankel, Director of Grady's Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center and Professor of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine. "Ms. Seagraves has unsurpassed clinical and leadership skills, while Ms. Connelly brings expertise in quality improvement, public health and community relations."

Clinical expertise, combined with the latest technology, allows the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center team to provide the most minimally invasive stroke care for patients needing treatment above and beyond available medications. The center includes the world's first neurological intensive care unit equipped with an angiography suite.

Grady's Joint Commission certified stroke center's multi-specialty approach to caring for stroke patients means treatment begins as soon as patients arrive in the emergency room. As Atlanta's premier Level I trauma center, Grady continues to advance stroke treatment and acute neurological trauma care by improving the delivery of time-dependent therapies.

About Grady Health System
Grady Health System is one of the largest public health systems in the United States. Grady consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial Hospital, six neighborhood health centers, Crestview Health & Rehabilitation Center, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, which is operated as a Children's affiliate.

With its nationally acclaimed Emergency Department and Burn Center, Grady has the premier level I trauma center in the region and serves as the 911 ambulance provider for the city of Atlanta. The state's only Poison Center is housed at Grady as well.

The Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center , Grady Diabetes Center, Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence, Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, and the Avon Breast Health Center are also notable components of the health system. Additionally, Grady's Ponce de Leon Center was named one of the top three HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country.

Other key services include Grady's Regional Perinatal Center and its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Primary Care Center, dedicated 60 Plus services for older adults, Teen Services, and the Rape Crisis Center. Nationally ranked in one specialty, Grady was named one of Atlanta's Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

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