Newswise — The T.L.L. Temple Foundation awarded $5.8 million to The Methodist Hospital to create a much needed advanced stroke program in East Texas, where the mortality rate from stroke is the highest in Texas and up to four times the national average.
When a person suffers a stroke, time is critical, and every minute counts when it comes to effective treatment. Currently, patients in Lufkin and the East Texas region, have to travel more than 80 miles to receive an advanced level of stroke care.
The grant from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation will help improve stroke mortality statistics by creating The Methodist Hospital East Texas Stroke Initiative, a partnership between Methodist in Houston and Memorial Health System of East Texas in Lufkin. This is the largest known grant from a private foundation in support of a collaborative stroke education project.
"Stroke is an enormous public health threat, and we know the devastating impact it has on East Texans," said Buddy Temple, Chairman of the of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, based in Lufkin. "This grant is about more than buying the right equipment and hiring stroke health care personnel. Through this partnership between Methodist and Memorial Health System of East Texas, we can be assured that East Texas families will have immediate access to top-notch stroke care, for generations to come."
The partnership complements The Methodist Hospital System's Taking Strides4Stroke campaign to educate the public on stroke symptoms, treatment, and prevention, and work with other institutions in the Texas stroke-belt to do the same. Methodist's campaign, created in 2006, is focused on creating a stroke education program that can be successfully replicated by other hospitals in communities throughout the nation.
"It is our mission to share knowledge and expertise with hospitals like Memorial Health System of East Texas, so they can, in turn, improve health care in their community and reduce the stroke mortality rate," said Dr. David Chiu, medical director of The Methodist Hospital's Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center, a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center. "By working with Memorial Health System of East Texas to create their own Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center over the next three years, we will help save lives."
Over the course of the next three years, Methodist will help Memorial Health System of East Texas hire neurologists, nurse practitioners and other stroke-specific staff; train the staff on how to implement a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, and purchase necessary equipment and technology. With the new program, Memorial hopes to improve stroke treatment and recovery for patients in the East Texas region, as well as improve stroke-related education to the community, emergency medical service (EMS) personnel and health care providers.
"Our Cardiovascular and Stroke Center of East Texas project is underway, so our collaboration with The Methodist Hospital and T.L.L. Temple Foundation is a perfect fit. We are excited that by 2011, we should become a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center and be able to enhance our level of care to residents in Angelina County and the surrounding areas," said Bryant Krenek, President and CEO of Memorial Health System of East Texas.
Stroke is the third major cause of death in Texas and the United States, as well as the primary cause of serious long-term disability in Americans. The risk of stroke more than doubles each decade after age 55. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only FDA-approved clot-busting drug to treat acute ischemic stroke patients, but it must be administered within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.
Methodist has already assisted six Texas hospitals in achieving Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification.
About The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TexasWith 18 beds, the Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center at The Methodist Hospital's Neurological Institute (NI) is the largest dedicated stroke unit in Texas and designated a certified primary stroke center by The Joint Commission. Methodist is a leader in all areas of stroke research, including diagnosis, innovative treatment, prevention, rehabilitation and recovery.
The NI houses the practice and research activities of the departments of neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neurophysiology and physical medicine & rehabilitation at The Methodist Hospital. The mission of the NI is to advance the discovery of the origins, mechanisms and treatment of neurological disease and to provide comprehensive care for patients with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord.
Methodist is primarily affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Methodist is also affiliated with the University of Houston. Ranked among the country's top centers in 12 specialties in U.S News & World Report's 2008 America's Best Hospitals issue, Methodist is ranked in more specialties than any other hospital in Texas, and is 12th in the nation for neurology and neurosurgery.
For more on the Methodist Neurological Institute, visit www.methodistneuroinstitute.com, or call (713) 790-3333.
About Memorial Health System of East Texas
As the largest health care system in the deep East Texas area, Memorial Health System of East Texas is a private, not-for-profit hospital that provides care to almost a quarter of a million patients each year. Since its inception in 1949, Memorial Health System has paved the way for quality, innovative health care in East Texas. In fact, Memorial consistently ranks among the nation's best for exceptional health care and patient satisfaction.
Memorial Health System of East Texas is comprised of four hospitals—Memorial Medical Center—Lufkin, Memorial Medical Center—Livingston, Memorial Medical Center—San Augustine, and Memorial Specialty Hospital, the only rural long-term acute care facility within the area. Memorial offers a wide array of services, including the newly renovated Arthur Temple, Sr. Regional Cancer Center, which has earned a three-year seal of approval with commendation from the Commission on Cancer. Additionally, Memorial is a regional cardiac care center affiliated with the Methodist-DeBakey Heart Center in Houston. The hospital also is known for providing the area's only comprehensive diabetes center—The Horace C. Polk Regional Diabetes Center. Other centers of excellence include the Temple Imaging Center that offers some of the most advanced procedures in the area, including PET/CT scanning for cancer and Alzheimer's, 64 Slice CT scanning, Open Bore MRI, 4D Ultrasound, and digital mammography. Other specialty areas include Orthopedic care, Women's Services, Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation, Homecare, Wound and Hyperbaric Therapy, Kidney & Diabetes Treatment, Sleep Disorders Treatment, and Express Lab. Memorial Health System of East Texas—founded and funded by the people it serves.
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