Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital and Brockville General Hospital have worked together to improve outcomes for stroke survivors.A person who experiences a stroke is more likely to survive, recover and return home when early stroke care is provided by a specialized team in an Acute Stroke Unit. Collaboration between Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital (PSFDH) and Brockville General Hospital (BGH) created a combined Acute Stroke Unit in Brockville. Beginning in May 2016, people presenting with stroke to the Perth and Smiths Falls Emergency Rooms who required admission to hospital were transferred to the Acute Stroke Unit at BGH. The Acute Stroke Unit, located on BGH’s 1 East inpatient unit includes a specialized team of doctors, nurses, therapists and others, who work with the patient and their family to determine the next steps for recovery and ongoing care within their community. From April to December, care was provided to 136 patients from across Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Counties including 36 patients who were transferred from PSFDH. In-hospital mortality rates within the first 30 days have dropped from 17.4% (PSFDH) and 8.4% (BGH) for the three years pre-implementation to a current combined rate of only 4.3%.Patient advisors from both hospitals, Linda Weese from Mallorytown, and Joan Moloughney from Westport, have each survived strokes and become passionate advocates for improving the stroke survivor experience. Watch this video for their story! Read more here
Fewer strokes. Better outcomes.