Stroke patients arriving at the Emergency Department at North Hawaii Community Hospital will have almost instant access to state-of-the-art stroke treatment thanks to integrated technology provided by The Queen’s Health Systems. ADVERTISING Stroke patients arriving at the Emergency Department at
Stroke patients arriving at the Emergency Department at North Hawaii Community Hospital will have almost instant access to state-of-the-art stroke treatment thanks to integrated technology provided by The Queen’s Health Systems.
“This new stroke treatment program allows patients to be evaluated and treated by stroke experts while staying at their local hospital in their own community,” said Dr. Matthew Koenig, program director of telehealth/telemedicine at The Queen’s Health Systems and clinical director of the Hawaiian Islands Regional Stroke Network.
“North Hawaii Community Hospital is the first hospital in the state to use brand new telecommunications technology that links directly into the network at Queen’s Medical Center,” said Koenig, who was at North Hawaii Community Hospital recently providing training to staff.
When minutes count, having access to stroke neurologists can save patients from significant loss of brain function. This top-level expertise is available 24/7 for people who come to North Hawaii Community Hospital Emergency Department.
“This new protocol, with North Hawaii Community Hospital working together with The Queen’s Medical Center, means that we are able to provide the highest quality service to our patients at an extremely critical time,” said Dr. Gary Goldberg, North Hawaii Community Hospital’s chief medical officer.
Stroke is the leading cause of chronic disability in adults and the third-leading cause of death in Hawaii. Treatment is available with clot buster medications but only if patients quickly arrive in the emergency department.
The most common symptoms of stroke are sudden onset of weakness or numbness on one side of the body, sudden onset of speech or language problems and sudden onset of balance problems or difficulty walking.
North Hawaii Community Hospital, an affiliate of The Queen’s Health Systems, is a 35-bed acute-care hospital located in Waimea. For appointments, call 887-CARE.
