HJNO Jul/Aug 2019

36 JUL / AUG 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of New Orleans   Healthcare Briefs in May, as it is National Stroke Awareness Month. Continued education on warning signs of symp- toms is vital to prevention of one of the lead- ing causes of death and disability in the United States. Gabriel Vidal, MD, vascular neurologist at the Ochsner Comprehensive Stroke Center, says the simplest way to help prevent a stroke is to take care of yourself and maintain a healthy life- style by eating well and exercising daily. “Patients need to control the diseases that make them more likely to have a stroke, like high blood pres- sure, diabetes, and high cholesterol,” explained Vidal. “It is also extremely important to also avoid smoking, drinking in excess, and using illicit drugs.” A stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain “clogs up,” depriving brain tissue of blood and nutrients it needs. The result is thousands of brain cells begin to die almost immediately, affecting motor skills, coordination, speech, and compre- hension. It is extremely important that someone showing signs of stroke remember the acronym F.A.S.T. to lower the risk of death or disability: F is for face – is your face drooping? A is for arms – can you lift both arms? S is for speech – are you slurring your words? T is for time, call 9-1-1 immediately because with a stroke, time is brain. Symptoms include sudden onset weakness and/or numbness in one side of the body, diffi- culty speaking or comprehending others, slurred speech, facial droop, difficulty with vision, imbal- ance, or severe headache. For those individuals suffering from a stroke, Ochsner Health System has a unique Telestroke Program, which joins experts from participating facilities to consult immediately with Ochsner vas- cular neurologists 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, using telemedicine equip- ment to determine the best treatment options for stroke patients. The Ochsner Telestroke Program includes more than 55 participating hospitals throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Since the Telestroke service began in 2009, more than 14,500 consults have been com- pleted across all three states via this technology. Treatment for stroke symptoms is often a race against the clock. The National Institute of Neu- rological Disorders and Stroke found that stroke patients who received tissue plasminogen activa- tor (t-PA) within three hours of the beginning of stroke symptoms were more likely to recover from their stroke with little or no disability. Because of this partnership, Ochsner’s Telestroke neurolo- gists can see patients as they arrive at the part- ner hospitals and they are able to evaluate and prescribe t-PA treatment more quickly. This time- liness has resulted in a Telestroke t-PA utilization rate more than four times the national average and a reduced complication rate. “In addition to tPA, this program has allowed us to immediately identify candidates who can be treated with a minimally invasive procedure called clot thrombectomy, allowing a trained spe- cialist to remove the clot directly. New evidence indicates that treating individuals within 24 hours from the onset of their symptoms still have an increased opportunity for improvement. This pro- cedure has been shown to make a marked recov- ery in the most severely disabling types of stroke. With the Telestroke process, quick identification and taking steps down this pathway very early are critical for the good outcomes this procedure can provide,” said Vidal. Daughters of Charity Health Centers Give Results of $1.5M Grant fromUnitedHealthcare Leadership from UnitedHealthcare and Daughters of Charity Health Centers gathered to announce the results of the $1.5 million Unit- edHealthcare provided to Daughters of Charity Health Centers (DCHC) in 2018 for a community health workers program and to announce a new grant to continue support of the Care Fellowship through 2019. These grants are part of United- Healthcare’s Empowering Health commitment, which strives to make an impact on the health of communities by providing significant funding to address social determinants of health in high- risk and high-need areas. According to United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings, in 2018, Louisiana ranked 50th among U.S. states A recent meeting by the AANP in Metairie attracted (l-r) New Orleans Chamber of Commerce President Ben Johnson, Rev. Jay Augustine, AANP President-Elect Sophia Thomas of Louisiana, AANP CEO Dave Hebert, Nurse Practitioner Kathy Baldridge of Pineville, Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer, and Rev. Jonathan Sellers.