Mobile Stroke Unit To “Go Live” To Help Save Lives In Lakewood

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During the October 17, 2016 meeting of Lakewood City Council’s Committee of the Whole, Council President Sam O’Leary toured Cleveland Clinic’s Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit and discuss how Lakewood residents will benefit from new advances in stroke care. Within the next several weeks, following the completion of protocols and training among Cleveland Clinic officials and Lakewood dispatchers and paramedics, the unit will help first responders save lives in Lakewood.  

The unit is an ambulance equipped for on-site stroke diagnosis and treatment with a mobile CT scanner and a mobile lab so the crew can do lab tests on board. If appropriate, the crew will be able to administer tPA – a medication that can break up blood clots and give patients a better chance at survival and living without disabilities often associated with a stroke. Upon receiving treatment, patients are transported to the most appropriate hospital.

“Deployment of the Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit in Lakewood was negotiated as part of the master agreement between the city, Cleveland Clinic, and the Lakewood Hospital Association, endorsed by City Council late last year,” says Council President O’Leary. “Now that the city and Cleveland Clinic have come to contractual terms on the use of this precious resource, we are proud to say that this life-saving technology reinforces the city's status as a local leader in stroke care.”

“Stroke is the number one cause of serious long-term disability in the United States, and treating stroke patients faster both saves lives and reduces disability,” said Andrew Russman, D.O., Medical Director of the Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit at Cleveland Clinic. “In the fight against stroke, the mobile stroke treatment unit is at the forefront of our emergency response capability. We have seen tremendous success for patients in the last two years with the mobile stroke treatment unit, and we look forward to bringing mobile stroke care to the doorsteps of the residents of the City of Lakewood.”  Since Cleveland Clinic began its Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit program two years ago, more than 2,500 patients have been serviced by the unit crew. Of those, 91 have received tPA on site.

“Last year when City Council announced our approval of the master agreement, we reassured Lakewood residents that the fully-staffed emergency department would be open 24/7/365 at the old hospital site until it transitioned to the new Cleveland Clinic family health center,” said O’Leary. “We kept that promise. And now we can say that the most advanced emergency stroke care can actually come to your home, so life-saving treatment can be started even before you get to an emergency department.”