A new acute stroke unit at the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) in Winnipeg aims to elevate care for Manitobans who have survived strokes, announced Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara on Friday.
“Manitobans deserve leading-edge medical care services that improve patient outcomes and speed up recovery times,” said Asagwara. “The opening of the new stroke unit at HSC will meet that expectation, providing Manitoba stroke patients with treatment, management and rehabilitation beginning in the days immediately following a stroke, highly specialized care that will help them in their recovery journey and improve quality of life.”
Located at 735 Notre Dame Ave, the new unit will open its doors with 12 beds on Monday.
The 18,400 sq. ft. space has features such as single-bed rooms, an occupational therapy kitchen to assess patients’ post-discharge mobility, and a gym space for early intervention with physiotherapists after a stroke.
“The new acute stroke unit at HSC will provide patients with care from stroke neurologists, physiatrists, nurses and rehabilitation specialists that will provide the full range of therapies for stroke patients to prevent further health complications, reduce the chances of a second stroke occurring, and maximizing their recovery,” said Dr. Esseddeeg Ghrooda, stroke neurologist, HSC Winnipeg. “Our team is very pleased that patients will soon have access to this enhanced level of stroke care.”
The unit will benefit from its proximity to interventional angiography facilities and equipment supporting stroke care at HSC’s Diagnostic Centre of Excellence, the minister added.
“We know that if a person who experiences stroke receives care in an acute stroke unit they are more likely to survive, have fewer complications, return home and regain independence,” said Christine Houde, director of health policy and systems in Manitoba, Heart & Stroke.
Nursing staff will be hired for the unit over the next free to four months, increasing its capacity to 28 beds.
Manitoba records 3,500 strokes yearly. Previously, patients in hospitals had access to two standard therapies, but the new stroke unit will improve access to vital rehabilitation, crucial for faster recovery, as highlighted by the minister.
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