Wimmera Health Care Group has won a Victorian Stroke Telemedicine Program Stroke Week Excellence Award.
Wimmera Health Care Group chief executive Chris Scott said the organisation was part of the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine (VST) Program, run by the Florey Institute.
"The program connects metropolitan neurosurgeons with patients presenting with stroke symptoms via videoconferencing. The aim of the program is for regional patients to be assessed by specialist neurosurgeons as quickly as possible, to enable fast diagnosis of stroke so specific medications can be used. This provides patients with the best chance of recovery," Mr Scott said.
"If a stroke is caused by a blood clot, it may be treated with a clot-busting drug to try to disperse the clot and return the blood supply to your brain. The process of giving this drug is called thrombolysis."
During Stroke Week this year, September 12-18, the focus was on the impact time has on stroke. The aim of the award was to recognise participating hospitals for their commitment and success in delivering time-critical acute stroke treatment.
"We received the award for delivering stroke thrombolysis within 60 minutes of hospital arrival in 100% of patients who received the treatment," Mr Scott said.
"This is a fantastic achievement for our staff and also for the patients involved to be diagnosed quickly and receive this particular treatment."
Wimmera Health Care Group is one of 16 hospitals participating in the program and has been involved since March 2016. Between 50 and 60 people with acute stroke symptoms attend the Emergency Department at Wimmera Health Care Group every year.