Tuesday, August 16, 2016 9:45 am

Saint Thomas Stones River Hospital in Woodbury has joined the Telestroke Network, bringing quick neurology access to local patients who may be experiencing a stroke.

"The Telestroke Network, now in place at all Saint Thomas Health Hospitals, expands the gold standard in stroke care for patients to four of our rural hospitals, which means that every Saint Thomas Health patient now has access to the specialty care they need when time is of the essence," said Amy Couvillion, RN, BSN, Saint Thomas Health System Stroke/Telemedicine Director.

"When a patient arrives at one of our Emergency Departments, and symptoms of a stroke are apparent, we now have all of the necessary resources in place to administer the highest level of care, including board-certified neurologists available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via technology," Couvillion said.

"We have developed a well-defined protocol comprised of best practices that is immediately enacted when a possible stroke patient arrives. We have covered more than 250 telestroke visits since we launched," she said.

In addition to Stones River, Saint Thomas Health,announced the expansion of its Telestroke Network to two other outlying Saint Thomas Health Hospitals: Saint Thomas Highlands Hospital in Sparta and Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital in Smithville. This expansion brings neurology access to patients who may be experiencing a