A new partnership with Northwestern Memorial Hospital will allow for expanded general and advanced neurology services at Saint Anthony Hospital without patients having to travel far from home. Patients will now have access to specialists 24/7 for the acute diagnosis and treatment of strokes within just minutes of being at Saint Anthony’s emergency department. Care is provided by an on-site neurologist or through telestroke technology. Having this new state-of-the-art telestroke program allows for a higher level of community hospital care with secured video conferencing and coverage from an on-site neurologist. “When Northwestern Memorial approached us with their award-winning, nationally ranked neurosciences program, we knew this was a significant opportunity,” said Romeen Lavani, MD, Vice President of Business Development for Saint Anthony Hospital. “Having a neurologist on-site with telestroke capabilities from a university setting is something our community needed. Our patients deserve the best, and we wanted the most beneficial collaboration with our end goal to become an approved Primary Stroke Center.” Eighty percent of strokes are preventable and are a leading cause of serious, long-term disability, according to the American Stroke Association. Some controllable risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. “At Saint Anthony Hospital, they have an impressive and dedicated medical community who is driven to give their patients the best medical services offered today,” said Yvonne Curran, MD, neurologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “This close collaboration with Northwestern will allow patients access to neurology services that they might not otherwise have. I am delighted to work with such a dedicated organization who always puts their community first.”