Discussing Guthrie Cortland Medical Center’s Primary Stroke Care Designation

Matt Brooks: [00:00:00] Matt Brooks here on X101 Always Classic, and for another edition of your care with Guthrie. With me on the line, it’s Megan Vianos Stroke Program Manager over at Guthrie Corland Medical Center. Now, first off, thank you for joining me, uh, this morning, Megan. 

Megan Vianos: Yeah, of course. It’s my pleasure. 

Matt Brooks: Now, first off, can you explain what the Primary Stroke Center Designation means and why it’s an important milestone for Guthrie Cortland Medical Center?

Megan Vianos: Yes. So the Primary Stroke Center Designation basically means that it’s a certification that is, uh, awarded to hospitals that meet rigorous national standards in the treatment of stroke. So it signifies that a facility like we have, um, has specialized staff protocols, so, you know, policies and procedures put in place to provide prompt evidence-based care for our stroke patients right here in the community.

It’s a huge milestone for us here at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center because it gives a reflection of our commitment to excellence and our ability to deliver time-sensitive, [00:01:00] life-saving treatment for our community members. 

Matt Brooks: Yeah, it’s such an important designation and, uh, how does it improve access to stroke care and benefit patients in the Cortland community?

Megan Vianos: So it improved the access because our patients now have, um, enhanced access to high quality stroke care right here in Cortland, and not even just in Cortland, but the surrounding areas. So it means that patients no longer need to be transferred to distant facilities for timely specialized stroke treatment, such as Syracuse.

We can now provide that care locally and efficiently, so it also, you know, translates to a faster diagnosis. Uh, we can give quicker administration of clot busting medications and earlier inter- interventions, which of course, as we know, time is brain with stroke, so we wanna make sure that we do this fairly quickly.

Matt Brooks: Yeah, it’s it’s amazing that it’s just like everything you need is here, so you’re not traveling. Now, uh, lastly, what advancements in technology, training, [00:02:00] or protocols have been implemented at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center to enhance stroke treatment and outcomes? 

Megan Vianos: Yeah, so within the, like the last year, year and a half, we’ve really been working hard in enhancing all of our training, especially with our staff and our protocols.

We’ve created 10 plus new protocols just for Cortland alone with stroke. So one of the things that we have implemented is a rapid imaging protocol, and we can, um. Identify this as a stroke alert. So if someone presents to the ER with signs concerning of a stroke, they might be slurring their speech, they might be off balance, confused, facial droop.

We will call what’s called a stroke alert, and we have less than 25 minutes to get this patient to the CT to diagnose, um, a rule out a head bleed. Um, and the provider has less than 10 minutes to get to this patient. So our timelines, uh, we have very time sensitive goals when it comes to these things. So that is, for example, one of the policies [00:03:00] and procedures we have put in place.

We also have tele neurology services. So we have, um, partnered with remote neurologists basically to ensure that our show patients receive 24 -7 expert consultation. Um, along with this, we have done staff training in simulation drill. So, for example, we do mock stroke alerts through the ER, through the, um, admission floors, basically just to practice over and over again.

You know, what it’s like to have a real stroke patient and make sure that our goals are being met. Um, lastly, one of the things that we have done and implemented is community outreach. So we wanna get the community to be well versed in stroke and well educated. So I know recently in the last year, we have partnered with Cortland City Schools.

We have gone to fifth grade, um, middle school and high schoolers. We’ve educated them on strokes with their family members. Uh, we’ve also partnered with local EMS such as Cincinnatus Uh, we’re going to the fire department next week, I believe, with their EMS, and we’re [00:04:00] providing more education with EMS along with SUNY Cortland.

We’ve provided education to those as well. So those are just most of the, most of the things that we’ve kind of started to implement. 

Matt Brooks: It’s, it’s amazing how much you’re doing because, I mean, a stroke is such a time sensitive thing that you, you have to, you have to catch it as soon as it happens or prevent it as soon as you can.

So it’s great to hear that all this work and effort and also backing up treatment options is right here in Cortland County at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. 

Megan Vianos: Absolutely. 

Matt Brooks: Now, uh, we are unfortunately outta time, but I wanna thank you again, Megan, for taking the time to talk about the, uh, Primary Stroke Center Designation that’s now at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center.

Megan Vianos: Yes. Thank you so much for having me. Matt Brooks: And this has been another edition of Your Care with Guthrie here on X101.