When slurred speech, facial droop and other telltale symptoms of a stroke develop in Columbus residents, they soon will be able to receive specialized care before they ever see the inside of a hospital.
The Columbus Division of Fire and the city’s three major hospital networks are working together on a new ambulance equipped with specialized equipment and personnel to respond faster to patients having a stroke, when minutes saved can translate into days of healthy living.
“We are going to bring definitive care to your front yard,” said Columbus Fire Chief Kevin O’Connor.
Administering care for a stroke faster is critical to improving the quality of life for the patient after the treatment, doctors from each of the hospital networks said. ..“It is all about minutes. It is all about time,” said Dr. B.J. Hicks, vascular neurologist and co-director of the comprehensive stroke program at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital. “If we can save even an hour, even 30 minutes, off of somebody’s treatment, it can be a lifesaving difference.”