Stroke & Brain

Signature Healthcare's Stroke Center

Our Stroke Center includes Teleneurology in conjunction with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Department of Neurology for care and treatment of stroke patients, offering real time consults with their neurologists. Working with our Chief of Neurology and nursing staff, they read scans electronically in real time and deliver consults and treatment plans to our patients at the bedside.

We are a Primary Stroke Service, meaning we have the capability to take care of stroke patients 24/7, from emergency to scanning and review of outcomes.

As a Gold Quality Achievement Award center, the Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital team provides the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

We focus on appropriate use of guideline-based care for stroke patients, including aggressive use of medications such as clot-busting and anti-clotting drugs, blood thinners and cholesterol-reducing drugs, preventive action for deep vein thrombosis and smoking cessation counseling.

We participate in the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program, a mission of the Center for Disease Control's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. EMS agencies, hospitals, and health care facilities collect and analyze data about stroke patients and care. We share best practices and data and work to improve patient care - from the first symptoms of stroke through rehabilitation and follow up with primary care physicians - to prevent complications and second strokes.

Signs of a Stroke

Remember the American Heart Association and National Stroke Association warning signs of a stroke:

  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
  • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

Act F.A.S.T.

How can you tell if you or someone else is having a stroke? Remember to Act F-A-S-T to save brain tissue.

If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.

F.A.S.T. - Face, Arm, Speech, Time