By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
New Tele-stroke services will be available starting June 18 at the Val Verde Regional Medical Center.
According to a release from the VVRMC, the hospital has partnered with Methodist Healthcare and Blue Sky Neurology to offer tele-stroke services in the hospital’s emergency room for stroke patients residing in Del Rio.
Through Teladoc technology, VVRMC will have an on-site robot called Dr. R.A.M.S. (Robot-Assisted Medical Services), which will allow emergency room physicians to connect with stroke experts via two-way live video and audio communication for the benefit of local patients.
Though Dr. R.A.M.S., stroke experts can be contacted 24/7 and provide on-demand consultations to help diagnose and treat patients. These stroke expert physicians will also have quick access to patients’ medical records and diagnostic test results.
VVRMC Chief Executive Officer Jorge Jurado spoke in depth about the tele-stroke services and the new robot during the hospital board’s regular meeting, held Wednesday, May 22. Jurado mentioned the hospital’s staff being excited to have the new equipment for the emergency room.
“When a patient arrives either in a personal vehicle or through (emergency medical services) with stroke-like symptoms, now we will have access to a neurologist via telemedicine. This is huge for our rural community! It enhances our ability to care for more patients at VVRMC,” Jurado told the hospital board and audience members at the meeting.
Jurado said the hospital’s emergency room nurses are acquiring National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NHISS) certifications, which will improve the skills of the VVRMC’s staff to assess patients regarding the severity of the stroke from which they may be suffering.
Jurado also said the name Dr. R.A.M.S. was given by high-school students from the San Felipe
Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District (SFDR CISD) Career and Technical Program (CTE). Jurado said this was a great opportunity to engage with the students and spark their interest in health care.
“We would love to see these future healthcare professionals join our team at VVRMC,” Jurado said.
