Photo: UCLA Hospital on wheels brings immediate care to stroke patients STORY HIGHLIGHTS The UCLA Health Mobile Stroke Unit enables rapid delivery of brain-saving medications to stroke patients who might otherwise face debilitating delays in treatment. The unit consists of an ambulance equipped with CT scanning technology along with a highly trained team able to perform diagnostic testing and initiate appropriate treatment. UCLAHEALTH.ORG UCLA Health has launched the first mobile stroke unit on the West Coast, enabling rapid delivery of brain-saving medications to stroke patients who might otherwise face debilitating delays in treatment. The unit consists of an ambulance equipped with CT scanning technology along with highly trained personnel who respond to calls involving patients suspected of having a stroke. The team is able to perform diagnostic testing and initiate appropriate treatment before transporting the patient to the hospital for further care. The UCLA Health Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) was launched in September 2017, responding to select 911 calls in Santa Monica in coordination with the Santa Monica Fire Department. In January 2018, the unit began a partnership with Los Angeles County that will ultimately involve collaborations with multiple fire departments to 1-844-4UCLADR (1-844-482-5237) expand the number of patients who are covered by the service. Roughly every 40 seconds, someone in the United States will have a stroke, and one person every four minutes will die as a result. During the stroke’s acute phase, each moment without treatment can lead to the death of additional brain cells. “In most strokes there is either a lack of blood flow to tissue in the brain or bleeding into the tissue in the brain. In either case, getting treatment to the patient fast improves the outcome,” says May Nour, MD, PhD, medical director of the UCLA Arline and Henry Gluck Stroke Rescue Program. “This program brings the first minutes of emergency treatment to the patient in the field rather than waiting until the patient arrives at the hospital.” “Time is brain in acute stroke — every minute counts,” adds Jeffrey Saver, MD, director of the