Montana Telestroke Project reaches milestone

A state health program that provides specialized care to stroke patients living in rural communities surpassed a major milestone.

Since the Montana Telestroke Project launched in 2009, more than 100 stroke patient consultations have occurred via telemedicine between rural hospitals and neurologists living in others parts of Montana and surrounding states.

Officials with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Benefis Health System and Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney joined together to celebrate the achievement and to raise awareness about the signs of stroke during a recent special ceremony.

“This is a critical program for rural Montana,” said Cooney. “The words I’ve heard to describe this program are life-saving, supportive, reassuring and that it provides peace of mind for rural hospital staff.”

According to Mike McNamara of the DPHHS Cardiovascular Health Program, the program has filled a critical role because some rural providers may only see a few stroke patients every year.

“So it is valuable for emergency departments in rural communities to have access to a neurologist who treats many strokes,” he explained.

The Telestroke Project addresses the need for specialized care for stroke patients in rural areas of the state. It connects patients that are served by hospitals in Glasgow, Lewistown, Havre, Libby, Plains and Ronan to neurologists working in Seattle, Portland, Denver, Kalispell or Great Falls.

Joy Linn of the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital said the Telestroke Project adds a peace of mind to Emergency Room staff at the Glasgow facility.

“This program connects our staff with specialty-trained providers,” she said. “When patients with non-typical presentations of stroke symptoms come through our doors, it really puts our minds at ease to know we can access the direction and guidance of a neurologist.”

Linn explains the neurologist then has the opportunity to assess and talk with the patient and the treating Frances Mahon physician.

“This information is vital in providing the best possible care for the patient,” she said. “In stroke cases, time is of the essence. We feel very fortunate to have this valuable resource in our facility, and it has made a difference in providing better patient outcomes to our rural population in northeastern Montana.”

Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is one of the leading causes of death. Stroke is a major cause of disability. The Telestroke Project provides technology that allows a secure two-way audio/video connection between a rural emergency department and a neurologist. The system allows for a real-time physical examination as well as the ability to view CT scan images of the brain over the system.

Before the implementation of this program, very few patients in rural Montana were benefiting from the potential life changing impacts of t-PA, a treatment for the most common type of stroke, ischemic stroke. The neurologist is consulted when a patient exhibiting stroke symptoms enters the emergency department and the local provider needs help determining the best treatment options.

“The most rewarding part of the Telestroke Project is that through telemedicine it brings some of the most well-respected stroke neurologists to small, critical access hospitals in Montana,” McNamara said. “We take a lot of pride in helping to bring this much-needed service to rural Montana.”

McNamara added that since time is such an important element in effectively treating stroke, it’s crucial that people are aware of the signs of stroke. These signs usually appear suddenly.

Using the FAST acronym can help identify a stroke: Face Drooping; Arm Weakness; Speech Difficulty; and Time to call 911

The celebration of this significant milestone also featured an award presentation by Jason Gleason, a Family Nurse Practitioner who works for Benefis Emergency Services. For Gleason, stroke is a condition very close to his heart both professionally as a provider of emergency care and personally, due to the loss of his wife, Heather, to a stroke in 2011.

Since losing his wife, Gleason and his three sons have honored her memory through the creation and presentation of the “Honorary Fifth Coyote Award,” an award to honor individuals and organizations that make profound contributions in promoting and advancing stroke care. During the event, he recognized Dietrich and Benefis Emergency Services Manager Scott Schandelson, RN, for their contributions to improving stroke care.

Schandelson received recognition for leading the way in improving stroke care at Benefis. In the past year, Schandelson led a stroke care improvement team to achieve a significant reduction in treatment times, as measured by the time between when a patient arrives at the Emergency Department and the life-saving t-PA treatment is administered. The national standard for emergency rooms to deliver this treatment is 60 minutes. Through Schandelson’s leadership and the diligent and the hard work of the entire team, Benefis has been able to reduce the time for a patient to receive this treatment significantly, providing care as quickly as 29 minutes, under half of the time of the national standard.

Dietrich was recognized for his service to both the local community and for his impact regionally through the Telestroke Project.

More information about the Telestroke Project go to: http://www.montanastroke.org/