Neurological care

A stroke happens when an interruption in blood flow to the brain occurs. Without this blood flow, the brain lacks a proper supply of oxygen, and brain cells begin to die.

As the county’s only Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, we provide a full range of services for stroke prevention, detection, treatment and rehabilitation. Our emergency room (ER) offers a fast response to patients coming to our hospital with stroke symptoms.

Our 24/7 stroke services include:

• Advanced imaging examinations and interpretations
• Communication with local emergency medical services (EMS) before a patient even arrives at the ER
• Immediate evaluation and treatment based on nationally recognized stroke guidelines that address emergency treatment and ongoing care
• Fully functioning medical laboratory to analyze and provide test results
• Ongoing acute care to encourage a faster return to normal life
• Rapid-response stroke team on-site with training to quickly respond to a patients experiencing a stroke
• Stroke rehabilitation that begins immediately following hospitalization to improve long-term outcomes and decrease stroke-related complications

A stroke is a serious medical emergency. If you suspect you or a loved one is experiencing a stroke, call 911 immediately.

Signs of a stroke

Knowing the warning signs associated with a stroke and being able to identify them when they occur could save your life or the life of someone else.

Common stroke symptoms include:

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms or legs — especially on one side of the body
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

Assessing stroke symptoms

If you think someone you know is experiencing a stroke, use the acronym "B.E. F.A.S.T.":

• Balance — sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Eyes — sudden trouble seeing out of one or both eyes.
• Face — facial weakness, often indicated by an uneven smile or weakness on one side
• Arms — arm weakness, such as an inability to raise both arms evenly
• Speech — impaired speech, including slurred speech or difficulty repeating simple phrases
• Time — don't wait, call 911

Stroke treatment

An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery supplying blood to the brain.

For patients who arrive at our hospital shortly after symptom onset, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) may be a treatment option. This is a clot-busting medication that works to dissolve the clot blocking the artery and restore blood flow.

We also perform interventional procedures to treat strokes that cannot be treated with tPA.

Stroke care team

To ensure you get comprehensive care, our stroke services are carried out by a healthcare team with special training in caring for patients with neurological conditions. This team includes:

• Case managers
• Interventional neuroradiologists
• Neurology trained nurses
• Neurosurgeons
• Nurse practitioners
• Pharmacists
• Therapists