Cicero makes enhanced medical services available in emergencies

The Town of Cicero has signed a deal with Rush University Medical Center to make a specialized Mobile Stroke Unit available bolster medical services to stroke victims. The new unit will be available initially every day between the hours of 7 am until 7 pm but plans are to expand it to 24 hours

Cicero Town President Larry Dominick signed an agreement this week that grants access to Rush University Medical Center to make a specialized Mobile Stroke Unit available to assist in responding to stroke related emergencies.

The Mobile Stroke Unit will provide added medical treatment to supplement the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provided by the Town of Cicero’s Fire Department ambulance teams.

The contract with Rush University Medical Center, 1700 W. Van Buren Street, in Chicago, to make the Mobile Stroke Unit available to the Town of Cicero was approved by the Town of Cicero Board at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.

Mobile Stroke Unit from Rush Hospital available to Cicero residents. Photo courtesy of the Town of Cicero — Mobile Stroke Unit fromRush University Medical Center available to Cicero residents. Photo courtesy of the Town of Cicero

“I am very happy that we are able to expand our emergency response ambulance teams to include the Mobile Stroke Unit which also includes professional medical staff to respond to strokes,” said Town President Larry Dominick.

“This specialized unit will assist our paramedics in responding to medical emergencies involving strokes. By bringing the Mobile Stroke Unit to the patient, we are saving much time and time is a critical factor in saving lives.”

Cicero Fire Commissioner Dominick Buscemi said that the Cicero ambulance teams respond quickly to emergency calls, but he said that the issue is the time it takes to bring stroke patients to the hospital for treatment.

“Even though we can provide emergency assistance to sustain life and prevent death in many cases, individuals suffering from stroke have to be taken to the hospital for specialized treatment,” Buscemi said.

“By making the Mobile Stroke Unit available to the patients as they are being treated in their homes, or the location of their emergency, we are able to save a lot of time. And saving that time increases the likelihood that a stroke patient can survive the stroke.”

Rush is the recipient of a private grant to fund the Mobile Stroke Unit which is owned and operated by Superior and outfitted with a Rush-owned physician clinic, including physician consultation via telemedicine, a CT Scanner, clinical laboratory and certain other medical technology necessary to provide mobile stroke diagnosis and treatment.

The Mobile Stroke Unit will staffed and on emergency call near the Town of Cicero every day, initially during the hours of 7 am to 7 pm with plans to make availability 24 hours.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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