Anyone can have a stroke regardless of age, sex or race and 80% of strokes can be prevented. Bronson is taking a strong stance in the fight against this disabling condition through prevention, risk awareness, education, rapid treatment and rehabilitation.
Are you at risk for stroke?
To find out if you’re at risk for stroke, take this free and confidential Health Risk Assessment. You’ll receive a personal report that includes your specific risk factors and what you can do to improve your health.
Why Choose Bronson for Stroke Care?
For the same reasons our outstanding neurologists and neurosurgeons chose Bronson:
Bronson’s unwavering commitment to quality. In fact, Bronson is certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center and has been designated as a Stroke Center of Excellence by NeuStrategy. Recently, Bronson was recognized by the The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association with a silver “Get with the Guidelines” award for excellence in implementing safe patient treatment guidelines.
More people in Kalamazoo County prefer Bronson for neurosurgery, head injury and stoke, and spine and back care.
Bronson is committed to providing an exceptional patient experience by providing a healing environment with dedicated neuro critical care and neurovascular units, all private rooms, the most technically advanced surgical suites available and satisfied nurses committed to providing you the best possible care.
Meet the Neurologists of Bronson
At Bronson, we’ve assembled an impressive team of specialists, with members from some of the most prestigious healthcare institutions in America. And they’re available to you right here in southwest Michigan.
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Complete Medical Treatment for Stroke
Bronson provides complete medical treatment for stroke. This includes everything from fast treatment for people who have had a stroke to specialized follow up care and rehabilitation.
Services
Diagnosis and Treatment
Patients often have the best outcomes when they are treated with the clot busting drug tPA soon after stroke symptoms appear. This drug breaks up blood clots and helps to restore blood flow to the brain. tPA is not effective for all types of stroke, so quick diagnosis of the stroke is critical.
At Bronson, a “Stroke Call Down” occurs when someone with stroke symptoms arrives at our Trauma and Emergency Center. Bronson’s Acute Stroke Intervention Team is called into action. They use guidelines developed by the National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association to quickly identify the kind of stroke, evaluate how severe it is, and begin treatment immediately.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation starts with the “Stroke Call Down” when a stroke victim arrives at our Trauma and Emergency Center.
Our therapists manage each patient’s care to attempt to restore function and independence and to allow a stroke survivor to return to home, family, community and workplace.
Regional Telemedicine
Bronson’s Robot Assisted Doctor, or BRAD, is stationed at Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall, offering Oaklawn emergency medicine physicians the ability to consult with the Bronson neurology team for patient stroke evaluations.
BRAD is a 5-foot, 5-inch robot with a flat-screen monitor for a “head” that displays the physicians face when in use. The robot connects to the Internet and includes a two-way video feed, a microphone and a speaker. Bronson neurologists guide the robot to the patient’s bedside using a remote-controlled joystick attached to their laptop.
This service enables patients in outlying communities to receive time-critical treatments, such as clot-busting medication that must be given within a few hours after the onset of stroke symptoms.
Neuro Team Collaboration
Bronson neurologists work with other providers and with patients and families to best meet each patient’s individual needs. A central component of the Bronson neurology program is a team approach to patient care that allows for multidisciplinary input from a broad array of services including neurosurgery, epileptology, physiatry, oncology, neuroradiology, orthopedics, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and more.
As a Level I Trauma Center, Bronson neurosurgeons are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for patient emergencies relating to brain trauma, spinal cord trauma, neurovascular trauma and disorders such as stroke, aneurysm, and arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Level 1 is the highest ranking a trauma center can receive.
Our Team
Our neurologists care for both adults and children with a variety of neurological conditions such stroke, aneurysms, epilepsy, and memory loss. We have the region’s only vascular neurologist, a physician who provides advanced diagnosis and treatment of stroke and related diseases.
In addition, neurointerventional surgeons Patrick Noonan, MD and Bratislav Velimirovic, MD, PhD are available to evaluate the extent of brain injury after a stroke or head trauma and provide interventional surgery to decrease brain damage. They use the latest minimally invasive procedures to help patients recover faster.
Dean Kindler, MD is the Executive Medical Director for Medical Neurosciences. For profiles of physicians specializing in neurology, neurosurgery and other related areas, visit our Find a Doctor section.
Prevention
For more information about warning signs and reducing your risk for stroke, please visit our Health Library section.
Education
To help make people aware of the warning signs of stroke and what can be done to reduce risks, Bronson's Neurosciences Team offers a program called "Get Stroke Smart" to community groups and organizations.
If you would like to schedule a "Get Stroke Smart" presentation for your group, please call the Neurosciences coordinator at (269) 341-7587.
If you have experienced a stroke and your doctor has prescribed the drug warfarin (Coumadin®) for you, please watch this video.
Related Websites
National Stroke Association
American Stroke Association
National Stroke Center
