Page 14 - CCIRF Advocate Fall 2019

Comprehensive Stroke Care
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Already Saving More Lives, Improving Recovery
The number of patients receiving tPA treatment for stroke at CCIRH has increased significantly, treating more patients in one month than the annual total just four years ago.
Education has played a major role by getting stroke patients to the ED for faster treatment. “Prior to going live with our new stroke protocol program, we took a multi-pronged approach to community education,” said Richard M. Van Lith, PharmD., VP Strategy and Business Development.
EMS workers and caregivers throughout CCIRH learned to better recognize and respond to symptoms of stroke. Members of the stroke team were trained to administer tPA; and residents throughout Indian
River County attended educational forums about stroke risk factors and symptoms, and learned the importance of calling 911 to seek help immediately.
Electronic Medical Record Project
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“I’m excited to bring MyChart to Indian River,” said Dr. Posk, adding “This secure easy-to-use portal will enable you to connect to your Cleveland Clinic healthcare team and your electronic medical record, 24/7.”
Dr. Posk also served as Chief Medical Resident at the main campus and was Medical Director at the Twinsburg Family Health and Surgery Center, where she managed over 100 physicians and 400 caregivers in a regional practice. To the benefit of many Cleveland Clinic patients – and soon those at CCIRH – Dr. Posk continues to focus on the personal patient portal, practice efficiency, improving chronic disease manage- ment and preventative medicine.
After earning her doctor of medicine from Michigan State University, Dr. Posk completed her internal medicine residency at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. She is a member of the American College of Physicians, American Association of Physician Leadership, American Medical Association and American Medical Informatics Association.
And to further benefit our community, she continues to see patients in her internal medicine practice, treating conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and Alzheimer’s disease. How better to judge the ways a system works and can be improved than as a practicing physician?
When Minutes Matter
“EMS personnel know to call ahead to the ED so that the multi- disciplinary stroke response team is at the ready,” explained Van Lith, when describing the protocols used to treat stroke patients arriving at CCIRH’s Emergency Department.
Upon arrival, no time is wasted in transporting suspected stroke patients from the ED to the CT scanner for an immediate assessment of their condition. If a blood clot is blocking the flow of blood to the brain, a clot-dissolving drug called tPA is administered. Within 8-10 minutes of the initial CT, technicians prepare for a CT angiogram with contrast while ICU nurses, phlebotomists, doctors and technicians run other vital tests.
If the onset of stroke symptoms is beyond the three- to four-and-half- hour window for tPA treatment, or if the blood clot is too large to dissolve, patients may be candidates for mechanical thrombectomy. This procedure, performed by skilled CCIRH neuro-interventionalists who are on call 24/7/365, dramatically increases a patient’s chances of returning to his or her pre-stroke health.
14 | CLEVELAND CLINIC INDIAN RIVER FOUNDATION
Foundation Welcomes Director of Leadership Gifts
Alexandria “Xan” Minton Anderson joined the Foundation as Director of Leadership Gifts, completing the senior team. Xan will work closely with volunteers and supporters to cultivate major, capital, endowment, and planned gifts, and extend foundation relationships across the broader community.
Alexandria “Xan” Minton Anderson
A Treasure Coast native, Xan graduated Saint Edward’s School, cum laude from the University of Florida, and with an MBA from the Crummer School at Rollins College.
“We are delighted to welcome Xan to the Foundation in this important role,” remarked Tony Woodruff, Foundation Chair, “Her community knowledge will help expand our philanthropic reach to new audiences.”
Xan was with University of Florida Foundation for five years, raising more than $5 million. She established 27 new scholarships, and cultivated 15 planned gifts in support of UF/College of Education.
“While I genuinely loved fundraising for my alma mater, I am thrilled to be back and to become actively engaged in the community my family has called home for four generations,” Xan shared. She will reside in Vero Beach with her husband, Brian, and their young son.