Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) is the District Stroke Centre for the Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk region. “We are extremely fortunate to provide stroke expertise in our community” says Elke Hilgendag, Clinical Manager of the District Stroke Program, the Integrated Stroke Unit (ISU) and the Stroke Prevention Clinic at the BCHS. “Based out of the Brantford General Hospital site, a team of experts supports the care of patients from the time they arrive in the Emergency Department” explains Elke.
The ISU opened in 2013 and is a specialized unit with interprofessional care providers who have advanced knowledge and training in stroke including acute care and rehabilitation. “After a patient is discharged from the hospital, they may continue therapy in the outpatient stroke program and receive follow up in the Stroke Prevention Clinic” says Elke. She notes that the “amazing teams on the ISU are comprised of physicians, nurses, speech language pathologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, therapy assistants, personal support workers, dietitians, pharmacists, social workers, and unit clerks, who are all dedicated to supporting stroke survivors on their road to recovery.”
Emergency and rehabilitation services for stroke are vital for our community, with an average of 400-500 individuals arriving each year at the Emergency Department (ED) with a suspected stroke, and 400 inpatient hospital admissions from stroke annually at the BCHS.
“When patients arrive at the ED with a suspected stroke, our team jumps into action to rapidly prevent brain tissue death caused by clots, which restrict the blood supply to the brain”, explains Elke. “Every minute after stroke is critical as we work to stabilize the patient and complete diagnostic imaging including a CT scan to determine the patients’ treatment options. Our ED team connects through video-conferencing to a neurologist as part of the Ontario Telestroke Program.”
Elke is passionate about providing the very best professional care to stroke patients at the BCHS – from emergent diagnosis, through acute treatment and rehabilitation, as well as prevention education. She is equally dedicated to this quality of care as a personal donor to the BCHS Foundation.
“Investment in our local healthcare system is so important” says Elke. “I am blessed to work in healthcare and be part of the incredible advances in medicine. It has changed how we provide stroke care. Many critical pieces of equipment used daily for stroke services at the hospital are funded by the Foundation. I am proud to be a donor. My family immigrated to Canada from Germany in 1978. We have established strong roots on our farm and in our community. Donating to the Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation is a way that my family can help make sure this happens.”
The Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation would like to sincerely thank all of the BCHS caregivers who support stroke services at the BCHS every day and make a difference in the lives of patients when they need it most. We are sincerely appreciative of our donors, like Elke and the Hilgendag/Klunder family, who give generously to transform our local healthcare system. Thank you!
