B4
HEALTH & WELLNESS
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY August 1 - 15, 2016
FRASER HEALTH CREATES CENTRALIZED
24/7 STROKE PROGRAM
SURREY – In a major
step toward establishing Royal
Columbian Hospital as a
comprehensive stroke centre,
Fraser Health is now providing
centralized support for stroke
patients with the implementation
of a 24/7 Regional Acute Stroke
Team. Stroke is the fourthhighest cause of death and the
number one cause of acquired
long-term disability in adult
British Columbians.
“Our long-term plan
to establish Royal Columbian
Hospital as a comprehensive
stroke centre means Fraser
Health patients will receive
services as close to home as
possible, easing the strain on
patients and their families as they
work toward a full recovery,” said
Fraser Health president and CEO
Michael Marchbank.
As part of the program,
Surrey Memorial Hospital will now
transfer all hyper acute stroke
patients directly by ambulance
to Royal Columbian Hospital
for treatment. This means more
patients will receive life-saving
services in Fraser Health rather
than out-of-region at Vancouver
General Hospital. A soft launch
of the program began last year
with Surrey Memorial Hospital
transferring 12 hyper acute
patients to Royal Columbian
Hospital and 68 to Vancouver
General Hospital within a 10month period. Now, all Surrey
Memorial Hospital patients
who require hyper acute stroke
care will be transferred to Royal
Columbian Hospital.
The
Regional
Acute
Stroke Team will deliver lifesaving emergency treatment to
patients who have experienced
a hyper acute stroke. When the
program is fully implemented, all
Fraser Health patients requiring
hyper acute stroke care will have
access to the Regional Acute
Stroke Team at Royal Columbian
Hospital. Royal Columbian
Hospital is well positioned to
provide this care as
it also delivers the
highly
specialized
endovascularneuroradiology
service, which is also
important for patients
who have experienced
a stroke.
“Suffering
a stroke can be a
devastating,
lifechanging experience
for
a
person.
Immediate treatment
for a stroke followed
by care in an acute
stroke unit in hospital
reduces the likelihood
of death and disability by as much
as 30 percent and is effective in
preventing stroke complications
and recurrence, accelerating
mobilization and providing early
rehabilitation therapy,” said
Fraser Health neurologist and
regional medical director Dr.
John Diggle.
The program will also
facilitate rapid, collaborative
care including a Hot Stroke
Pager service for physicians who
suspect their patient may have
experienced a stroke or transient
ischemic attack (TIA), a related
condition. Within 15 minutes, a
Royal Columbian Hospital-based
stroke neurologist will confer
with the physician by phone
to discuss symptoms and the
current investigation followed by
the development of an immediate
short-term plan to ensure the
patient receives the appropriate
level of care.
In addition to providing
hyper acute stroke care, the
Regional Acute Stroke Team
will provide stroke education,
ensure optimal secondary stroke
prevention therapies are initiated
in hospital and act as a liaison
with family physicians. Upon
discharge from hospital, the
team will follow-up with clients to
ensure they are complying with
stroke prevention strategies and
if necessary, transfer a client to
rehabilitation services.
([email protected])
Kidney Stones: The latest on Prevention, Treatment & Research
Come and learn from the physicians, researchers and dieticians on the latest
kidney stones treatment, prevention tips and diet choices. Hosted by the VGH Stone
Centre, this is a free event for everyone who wants to know more or have questions
about kidney stones. Date: Tuesday September 13, 2016, Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm,
Doors Open at 6:00pm (Programs begins exactly at 6:30pm) Location: Paetzold
Auditorium Vancouver General Hospital, Jim Pattison Pavilion, 889 W 12 Avenue,
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9. RSVP: Phone: 604-875-4111 x62421
Online: www.
StoneCentreVGH.ca/rsvp-online/
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