Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. experiences a stroke.

Mobile Stroke Program Leadership
From left: John C. Mazziotta, MD, PhD, May Nour, MD, PhD, Henry Gluck, Arline Gluck, Tracey Gluck, Johnese Spisso, MPA.

The UCLA Health Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) is part of the Arline and Henry Gluck Stroke Rescue Program, offering stroke patients within Los Angeles County access to the first program of its kind on the West Coast. The MSU is a specially-equipped ambulance, built with a mobile CT scanner, point-of-care lab tests, telehealth connection with a hospital, and stroke medications, all designed to deliver proven stroke therapies to patients faster than ever before. When a patient is having stroke, every minute counts. The faster patients are treated with appropriate medications, the better their health outcomes will be. The MSU is designed to take all of the care traditionally given in the Emergency Department of a hospital, and deliver it directly to stroke patients where they are, all before transporting the patient to an approved stroke center for further care.

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Mobile Stroke Units first began in Germany in 2011, where it was shown that MSUs could deliver the same kind of safe, effective treatment to stroke patients, but nearly 30 minutes faster than through the traditional method of an ambulance transporting a patient to a hospital for their initial care. This innovative care soon came to the US, and is now capable of treating patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes.

The UCLA Health Mobile Stroke Unit is the first in California and on the West Coast, and we are proud to bring this life-saving care to the communities we serve. The program is sponsored through the Arline & Henry Gluck Foundation, and recently received additional funding through Los Angeles County to eventually expand to new areas of Los Angeles. We work in partnership with the Santa Monica Fire Department and Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency, as a part of the 911 Emergency Response system.

Contact Us

May Nour, MD, PhD
Medical Director, UCLA Arline and Henry Gluck Stroke Rescue Program
[email protected]

 

For more information about the UCLA Stroke Center visit stroke.ucla.edu.