By Michael Hixon
Daily Breeze
TORRANCE, Calif. 鈥� When it comes to strokes, every minute counts.
So in an effort to reduce long-term complications and even death, two state-of-the-art Mobile Stroke Units were unveiled on Wednesday, May 28, at Torrance Fire Station No. 1 by Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and UCLA Health.
鈥淔or every minute that a patient waits for treatment, 2 million brain cells die,鈥� Hahn said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. 鈥淏ut if doctors can treat someone quickly, they can not only improve that patient鈥檚 chance of survival, but can prevent serious brain injury and nerve damage.鈥�
The new Mobile Stroke Units join one that鈥檚 been operated by UCLA Heath, in partnership with LA County, since 2017. The original unit 鈥渉as responded to more than 2,000 calls and treated more than 360 patients,鈥� according to a Wednesday press release from Hahn鈥檚 office.
The new units will serve areas of the Westside, South Bay, Long Beach, the Gateway Cities and, beginning in August, the San Fernando Valley.
Dr. May Nour, an interventional and vascular neurologist and medical director of the UCLA Mobile Stroke Unit Program, said the hope is to expand the units to all the fire departments in the county.
鈥淥ur vision is to see this available for every stroke survivor in our county,鈥� Nour said. 鈥淥ur dream and our vision is to have seven to 10 mobile stroke units that become part of the fabric of EMS care.鈥�
The units are 鈥渂uilt with a mobile CT scanner, point-of-care lab tests, telehealth connection with a vascular neurologist, and therapies,鈥� a Wednesday press release said, 鈥渁ll designed to deliver proven stroke treatments to patients faster than ever before.
鈥淧hysicians on the unit can administer clot-busting drugs to patients in the field,鈥� the release added, 鈥渓ong before they get to an emergency room.鈥�
Hahn is continuing the legacy of her father, the late Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, who started the nation鈥檚 first paramedic program, which began by treating 鈥渉eart attack patients in the field, before they arrived at a hospital, improving their health outcomes,鈥� according to the press release.
The elder Hahn had a stroke when he was 67 years old, the younger Hahn said. That left him paralyzed on his left side and he lost the use of his left arm, his daughter said, but 鈥渉e eventually went back to the job he loved as county supervisor.鈥�
鈥淗e was in a wheelchair for the last 10 years of his life,鈥� Hahn said. 鈥淥bviously, it was difficult for him to get around. It was really hard on my mom, who was his primary caregiver, and difficult on everyone around him to keep him engaged in his life and his job while being paralyzed.鈥�
In 2017, Hahn partnered with UCLA Health to launch the first Mobile Stroke Unit on the West Coast, in L.A. County.
鈥淲e鈥檙e adding two newer, even more high-tech units; that means faster response times and ultimately, better outcomes for more people,鈥� Hahn said. 鈥淥ur goal is simple, to save lives and preserve the quality of life. We want people not to just survive a stroke, like my dad did, but to walk, to talk, to enjoy life. We鈥檝e seen people who have experienced a stroke walk out of the hospital hours later because the Mobile Stroke Unit figured out which kind of stroke they were having.鈥�
The fund for the new units came from a $6 million donation from the Brett Torino Foundation, which will serve San Fernando Valley, as well as Heidi and Larry Canarelli, from Las Vegas, who donated an additional $6 million for the other ambulance, which will be stationed in Westwood, according to the press release.
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