The wheels are in motion to get Melbourne’s second Mobile Stroke Unit on the road as soon as possible with a major appeal kicking off this week to fund a key element of the ambulance.
Stroke Foundation is asking Victorians to dig deep to help raise $100,000 for a CT brain scanner – a critical part of the fit-for-purpose vehicle.
The ambulance is an initiative by the Victorian Government in partnership with Ambulance Victoria, and was announced as part of the May 2022 State Budget. The Government is putting $12m towards the new Mobile Stroke Unit for the south-east portion of Melbourne.
The stroke ambulance will be staffed by a neurologist, nurse, radiographer and two paramedics. It will have a brain scanner on board, allowing diagnosis of stroke and treatment to begin in the field rather than waiting until the patient has arrived at hospital, slashing treatment times and improving outcomes for patients.
Among the 2851 Victorian patients treated by the first Mobile Stroke Unit, which hit the road in 2017, is Melbourne survivor of stroke, Warren Wheatley.
Warren had a stroke in his Chadstone home in 2019 and was found by his son, Arron.
“I began to bang feebly on the wall of the bathroom. I was on the floor and could just raise my hand. Arron heard the thumping and found me on the floor.”
Arron suspected a stroke and, knowing stroke is an emergency, called an ambulance straight away.
The Mobile Stroke Unit arrived and Warren was treated outside his home. The on-board CT scanner discovered a clot and he was given clot-busting drugs immediately, instead of waiting to go to hospital.
“The traffic was stopped in my street and right there, in front of the house, I was given life-saving treatment. It was incredible.”
After the stroke, Warren was paralysed on his lift side, could not lift a spoon to his mouth, and experienced incontinence but in nine weeks, was back on his feet.
“With the world-class treatment that I received in such a quick timeframe, I was able to recover well. Four years later, my life is 95% back to what it was. The highlight was that I was able to walk my daughter down the aisle at her wedding.”
Stroke Foundation Interim Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lisa Murphy, says the stroke ambulance and the speed with which Warren received treatment, played a crucial role in his recovery.
“When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells a minute so it’s critical to act fast and get emergency treatment as quickly as possible. The stroke ambulance does exactly that and, as a result, saves lives and improves outcomes for patients.”
Pivotal to the success of the Mobile Stroke Unit, is knowing what a stroke looks like and knowing to call an ambulance immediately.
A recent Stroke Foundation survey found that 39 per cent of Melburnians could not name a single sign of stroke which equates to approximately 1.7 million Melbourne residents.
Stroke Foundation’s aim is for every Melburnian to know the F.A.S.T. acronym which defines the three most common signs of stroke – Facial droop, inability to lift both Arms, and slurred Speech, as well as the reminder that Time is critical and to call an ambulance immediately.
“Our world-class stroke ambulances are primed and ready to save lives, but Melburnians need to be primed too. They need to know the signs of stroke and know that stroke is an emergency in order for a stroke ambulance to arrive.” Dr Murphy says.
Stroke Foundation is calling on the Victorian Government to help by making stroke a spending priority in its next budget and investing $250,000 per annum for four years to deliver a F.A.S.T. Community Education Program and multimedia campaign.
“We know our F.A.S.T awareness program works; we’ve seen it succeed in other states like regional New South Wales where awareness of stroke signs lifted by 20 per cent after its government partnered with us by investing in our work,”
“Victorians deserve the same opportunity to learn this life-saving message.”
