The Brain and Stroke Network at Baptist Health System

The Brain & Stroke Network at Baptist Health System increases survival rates for stroke victims in San Antonio by providing complete stroke care that’s available 24/7. For you, that means neurosurgical support is minutes away, with an acute stroke team readily available to provide tPA.

To speed up transport time, Baptist provides you with complete stroke treatment at five hospitals all over the city. Until now, quality stroke care was only available in Austin and Houston, forcing stroke patients to endure long transports and delay time-sensitive life-saving treatment. Baptist also partners with Airlife to provide rapid air transport if necessary.

To provide the 24/7 coverage that stroke patients need, the Brain & Stroke Network offers Baptist-affiliated physicians, the Department of Neurosurgery of the University of Texas Health Science Center, neurologists and telemedicine. Baptist is following the brain coalition guidelines for standards of stroke care and is working toward a goal of obtaining Joint Commission Stroke Certification in 2009.

What Is a Stroke?

A stroke occurs when one of your blood vessels clots or bursts, interrupting the flow of blood to your brain. Consequently, your brain cannot get the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function, and brain tissue starts dying within minutes.

If caused by a blood clot, it’s called an ischemic stroke. The clot can occur in a blood vessel elsewhere in your body and then travel to your brain or it can form in an artery that supplies blood to your brain. If a blood vessel breaks and bleeds into or around your brain, it’s called a hemorrhagic stroke.

A stroke affects one side of your brain and the opposite side of your body. Depending on which side of your brain is affected, stroke can cause one or many long-term effects: paralysis on one side of the body, problems with vision or speech, memory loss and behavioral changes.

What Can I Do?

Act FAST. By knowing the symptoms of a stroke, you can identify one and get help quickly. Use this simple test to recognize the warning signs of stroke.

Face

Ask the person to smile. Does their face look uneven?

Arms

Ask the person to raise both arms. Is one weak or numb?

Speech

Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Does their speech sound strange?

Time

Call 911 immediately.

Remember: you’ve only got a 3-hour window to get the treatment it takes to minimize long-term, debilitating effects.

Get The Action Pack!

Help spread the word about stroke. This printable pack contains posters/fliers and greeting cards. Use the poster and fliers anywhere you like - your classroom, your school nurse's office, your church and your workplace. The greeting card gives kids the chance to share stroke education with their grandparents and other older relatives.

The more people you inform, the more lives can be saved from stroke. Thanks for helping spread the word! Download the pack HERE

Why The Brain and Stroke Network?

Because time lost is brain lost. The Brain and Stroke Network at Baptist Health System offers five locations across the city that are prepared to treat stroke emergencies. So wherever you are when a stroke occurs, you’re never far from the time-sensitive treatment you need to prevent permanent brain damage.

What’s more, The Brain and Stroke Network at Baptist offers highly skilled staff with the expertise needed for emergency stroke care and all-inclusive recovery. Baptist also provides expert physicians with skills ranging from emergency medicine, neurology and neurosurgery to cardiology, vascular and interventional radiology.

Where Can I Learn More?