Stony Brook University Hospital will launch two specialized emergency vehicles in Suffolk County next year that will provide immediate healthcare for stroke patients.
The vehicles will be equipped with CT scanners and will be stationed along the Long Island Expressway.
Eric Niegelberg, the director for the mobile stroke unit, said the new service will save precious minutes by helping figure out what treatment patients need.
“What makes the unit different than any other ambulances is that it has a CAT scanner that’s built into the ambulance and a sophisticated telemedicine platform. All of that time is critical because we know that every minute that goes by when a patient is not getting adequate blood flow to parts of the brain, they’re losing more than 1.9 million neurons.”
Niegelberg said the crew and patient will be able to quickly send information back to the Stony Brook Stroke Center for evaluation from physicians. He said the unit is one of about two dozen similar programs nationwide.
Stony Brook University Hospital is investing $2.2 million in the program.
