CADIZ — WVU Medicine Harrison Community Hospital has launched a Telestroke Program with the WVU Stroke Center providing telestroke services to patients at the hospital.

The Stroke Center is a part of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.

“WVU Medicine’s telestroke program uses technology that allows rural hospitals the ability to connect virtually with some of the top neurologists in the country,” David Phillips, president and CEO of Harrison Community Hospital, said. “This program gives patients the opportunity to minimize the long-term effects of a stroke when minutesmatter without ever leaving their community.”

Through telestroke, WVU Stroke Center neurologists can securely view and interact with the patient in the Harrison Community Hospital Emergency Room and view diagnostic data over an encrypted internet connection.

The WVU Stroke Center team and the Harrison Community Hospital staff will communicate using video conferencing devices to develop a care plan for the stroke patient, share tests like computed tomography (CT) scans, and administer a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) intravenously.

“With this collaboration, it will give us immediate access to neurologists during a crucial narrow time frame,” said Susan Redish, director of nursing. “It is important for our community to know when it comes to acute stroke, time is critical.”

The WVU Stroke Center at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital is the first and only hospital in West Virginia to receive The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers. Both represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.

For more information on Harrison Community Hospital, visit WVUMedicine.org/Harrison.

For more information on the WVU Stroke Center, visit WVUMedicine.org/Stroke