Pa. hospital and FD launch mobile stroke unit for faster, life-saving treatment

Main Line Times & Suburban

Jun. 26 — On June 18, Jefferson Health unveiled the first Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) for Upper Merion Township and surrounding areas as an " Emergency Department on Wheels .” The MSU is a specialty ambulance fitted with telemedicine to connect directly with Jefferson Health stroke specialists with brain imaging and stroke treatment capabilities, including clot-busting thrombolytic drugs.

Patients are assessed, tested, and treated in the ambulance by a stroke-trained EMS crew before being transported to the emergency department at Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital.

The term “time is brain” emphasizes that nearly two million brain cells are lost every minute when stroke is untreated which can result in serious brain injury. That’s why treating patients immediately in the MSU prior to arriving at the hospital can increase survival and reduce long-term disability.

The ribbon-cutting was attended by Jefferson Health leadership and Upper Merion Township Fire & EMS; Public Safety & Police; and Board of Supervisors’ leadership, among others.

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