Stroke Care

BMC Creates a Partnership with St. Dominic's

Bolivar Medical Center has taken a major step in medical communication technology. BMC is proud to announce its partnership with St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital in an effort to bring specialized stroke diagnosis and treatment to the Mississippi Delta region. St. Dominic Hospital, one of the most comprehensive hospitals in Mississippi, is a certified Primary Stroke Center with an expertly-skilled team of clinical professionals who provide high-tech intervention and evidence-based care for every stroke patient.

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Thanks to this collaboration, the REACH Access Point Cart, a true state-of-the-art technology, will allow doctors at St. Dominic to provide "face-to-face" telemedicine consultation for stroke victims arriving at BMC.

Using an Internet connection and the REACH machine, a physician from St. Dominic's highly regarded Stroke1 team will guide a technician at BMC in all necessary treatments for the patient. The doctor will have complete control of a high-resolution camera on the cart, allowing the physician to see the entire patient receiving care in crystal clear detail.

The cart is outfitted with a computer, speakers, microphone and two monitors. Under the direction of the St. Dominic Stroke1 team giving “real time” recommendations, the BMC technician will carry out any necessary procedures.

"This will definitely increase the speed of treatment and ultimately, quality of life." said Teresa Grissette, Quality Director at BMC.

While not all patients will be treatable at BMC, the service will help determine more quickly if the victim needs the t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) drug to break down blood clots or needs to be transferred to St. Dominic for life-saving surgery.

As is the case with most major medical emergencies, time is of the essence. The staff at BMC follows the simple acronym FAST* when trying to enhance responsiveness to stroke victim needs.

100 percent of BMC emergency room nurses are trained to respond and operate the REACH cart, which is mobile and usable throughout the ER. The chief of staff and all emergency physicians are fully trained to work with the neurologist on the other end. While the machines are widely used across the country, the technology is relatively new to Mississippi.

Bolivar Medical Center will be the only hospital in the Delta utilizing this technology.

To learn more about this new life-saving procedure, contact Bolivar Medical Center at (662) 846-0061.