Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/546903
"WE HAVE AN AGING POPULATION with high risk for stroke and other significant neurological conditions," said David M. Blake, MD, neurologist, president of the medical staff and stroke director for Saint Joseph Hospital. "We welcome the opportunity to care for these patients and are excited to improve stroke care for patients and families throughout central Kentucky." The neurology team at Saint Joseph Hospital is committed to improving quality of life for patients living with neurological illnesses, such as epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease and multiple sclerosis. With expert neurosurgeons on-call 24/7, Saint Joseph Hospital is well-equipped to respond to emergencies that involve a damaged brain or spinal cord. Timing is Everything Additionally, Saint Joseph Hospital offers prevention and acute treatment of stroke, the fifth highest cause of death in Kentucky, according to the American Stroke Association. Utilizing a clot-busting medication called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), Saint Joseph Hospital physicians work quickly to restore blood flow to the brain in patients presenting with stroke. The goal of tPA is to dissolve the clot of blood blocking an artery and to re-establish blood flow that delivers glucose and oxygen to brain tissue. Saint Joseph Hospital exceeds expectations from the American Stroke Association in terms of door-to-treatment times. Utilizing a computed tomography (CT) scanner, the team at Saint Joseph Hospital can quickly determine when tPA is needed and how to respond to situations when it is not. "Our goal is to administer tPA to ischemic stroke patients within the first hour of arrival to the hospital," said Kristin Howard, BSN, RN, stroke program coordinator with Saint Joseph Hospital. "The sooner we can treat the core of the problem, the more likely we can restore brain function." If you have questions about stroke or other neurological illnesses, connect with the Saint Joseph Hospital neurological team at KentuckyOneHealth.org/sjhstrokecare NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PATIENTS AND MAY BE LIFE THREATENING. SAINT JOSEPH HOSPITAL, PART OF KENTUCKYONE HEALTH, OFFERS A SPECTRUM OF NEUROLOGICAL SERVICES DESIGNED TO TREAT THOSE CONDITIONS. David M. Blake, MD ACTING FAST WITH STROKE Saint Joseph Hospital, part of KentuckyOne Health, is getting the word out about stroke, sharing signs that may indicate an event and explaining what to do if one occurs. "We are using ongoing educational efforts to try to make our community aware of the urgency of treating stroke," said David M. Blake, MD, neurologist, president of the medical staff and stroke director for Saint Joseph Hospital. "We have a multipronged approach to sharing this information, which includes a teaching program for the staff at Saint Joseph Hospital and outreach campaigns to communicate with emergency medical services in surrounding counties, as well as civic groups and schools in the community." Breaking Records, Setting Trends 4 KentuckyOne Health | KentuckyOneHealth.org