What D'O did today

NEWS RELEASE FROM DAVID ORAZIETT, MPP

******************* Orazietti announces $306,900 to include Sault Area Hospital as one of two new Telestroke sites

Innovative technology links northern patients to experts, improving odds of recovery

SAULT STE. MARIE - The McGuinty government is launching a project to improve the quality of care provided to stroke patients in Sault Ste. Marie and Northern Ontario, announced David Orazietti, MPP.

"The effects of a stroke may be drastically reduced when a patient is seen by medical experts within the first couple of hours," said Orazietti.

"The challenge for Ontarians living in the north is that there isn’t enough time to travel to urban areas to get the care they need. Telestroke will mean people have access to the best care available in the province without having to leave their local hospital."

Telestroke will provide patients and their doctors in the Sault Area Hospital with instant access to neurological stroke experts through video communications, dramatically improving the odds of recovery from some types of stroke.

The neurologist, patient and emergency room doctors can interact as though they're in the same room, providing the patient with the best care possible.

One time start-up funding of $224,200 has been recommended to add a new telestroke site at the Sault Area Hospital and a new site at the Timmins District Hospital.

As well $82,700 in start-up funding has also been allocated to support the two new telestroke sites through the Northern Ontario Remote Telecommunication Health (NORTH) Network.

Across Ontario $814,000 is being added to enhance telestroke programs as part of the provincial government's $30 million strategy to improve access to stroke care in Ontario.

"Telestroke removes the element of travel from the equation," said Minister Smitherman. "Today's announcement means northern residents now have access to neurological experts 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Today's announcement is part of the McGuinty government's comprehensive plan to improve health care in Ontario.

It's a plan that includes reducing wait times for key procedures, creating Family Health Teams, increasing the number of doctors and nurses, and investing heavily in community-based health care in order to ease the pressure on hospitals and deliver care where patients need it most - closer to home.

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