Isabel talks with Chuck Gipson, Quality and Education Manager for MEDIC EMS. They discuss how emergency dispatchers were instrumental in getting the prehospital stroke alert off the ground, the importance of getting a stroke patient help as soon as possible, and building trust between dispatch centers, paramedics, and hospitals.

For Your Information:

MEDIC EMS (http://www.medicems.com/)

tPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator): a medicine that helps break down blood clots that is primarily used to treat strokes.

In 2010, the American Heart and American Stroke Associations set a goal of at least 50% of patients receiving tPA within 60 minutes of the paramedics arriving at their door. (http://www.strokeassociation.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/@gwtg/documents/downloadable/ucm_308277.pdf)

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