[Archived from March 20, 2009]
March 17, 2009 – Jewish Hospital will be unwrapping a new present this week that will increase the level of care for stroke patients, thanks to a generous donation by Jim and Dot Patterson. A first in Kentucky, the new state-of-the-art portable CereTom 8-Slice CT scanner will enable imaging to be performed at the bedside, rather than transporting patients to the radiology department. The new CT scanner will be used in the hospital’s intensive care units where it will save time and minimize the risks inherent in transporting critically neurologically ill patients, such as stroke victims and patients with brain tumors.
In honor of the Patterson’s one million dollar donation to ensure more people have access to the very best stroke care, Jewish has established the Dot Patterson Stroke Institute. Their significant donation not only brings the new portable CT scanner, but will also crate a new eight-bed unit at Jewish Hospital to provide an intermediate level of care for patients ready to leave the intensive care unit, but who still need advanced monitoring and attention. This first-in-Kentucky dedicated stroke step-down unit will open in April.
Funding will also provide the region’s first American Academy of Neurology sponsored regional stroke conference to be held May 8. The Inaugural Dot Patterson Stroke Institute Symposium will feature nationally renowned speakers like Lawrence Wechsler M.D., Howard Yonas M.D., Camilo Gomez M.D., and James M. Gebel, Jr., M.D., medical director of the Jewish Hospital Emergency Stroke Center.
“We already have a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department,” said Martin Bonick, president/CEO of Jewish Hospital. “This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate. Now we have even better equipment.”
The machine is capable of generating high-quality images of the head and neck, on par with conventional scanners, but is light enough to be placed on wheels and pushed anywhere it is needed. “It saves a great deal of back strain and other undue physical strain for our nurses as well. They will enjoy the benefit of having the machine come to them,” said Cheryl Fugatte, Jewish Hospital chief nursing officer.
According to the American Stroke Association, each year approximately 700,000 people suffer a stroke – 500,000 are first attacks and 200,000 are recurrent. With a stroke, time lost is brain lost.
Obtaining cutting-edge neuro-imaging technology enables the Jewish Hospital care team to measure blood flow and arterial anatomy in the brain and identify stroke patients who are most likely to benefit from emergency therapies. This new equipment will allow, for the first time in Kentucky, the capability of bedside imaging in unstable and critically ill stroke patients.
Jim and Dot Patterson are keenly award of the importance of prompt, expert treatment for stroke. Mrs. Patterson suffered a stroke in 2001 and made a full and complete recovery, which she credits to her medical care. But a friend had a much different experience and survived with serious disabilities that limit his quality of life.
Their gift to the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation is intended to give more people in Kentuckiana the opportunity to survive and thrive after a stroke.
In 2008, Jewish Hospital received the American Stroke Association’s Get With The GuidelinesSM–Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award. The award recognized the hospitals’ commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations. Jewish Hospital was also recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Best 50 Hospitals in the U.S. for neurology and neurosurgery.