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Carilion Stroke Center Certified

Joint Commission Certification Recognizes “Exceptional Efforts” to Foster Better Outcomes

As Carilion Clinic celebrates a Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (CRMH), the number of patients being treated has almost doubled in the past 12 months. In June 2009, CRMH treated 43 emergency stroke patients. In June 2010, the number of stroke patients jumped to 80, the highest of the past 12 months.  June capped a 12-month period that saw a significant increase in cases, beginning last December. 

Stroke Center medical director Sidney Mallenbaum, MD explains the process for removing a clot from a patients brain

Stroke Center medical director Sidney Mallenbaum, MD explains the process for removing a clot from a patients brain

“We don’t think this means that a lot more people are suddenly having strokes”, said Carilion Clinic Neurologist Sidney Mallenbaum, M.D., medical director of the stroke unit. “Rather, we’ve been able to identify more strokes, and get people in for treatment while the stroke is still treatable.”

Carilion Clinic has been working towards improved stroke care for several months, starting with the “Know the Five” campaign for heart attack and stroke, (www.knowthefive.org), educating the public about the signs of stroke and encouraging people to seek emergency treatment quickly. Treatment options at Carilion Clinic include medication therapy to dissolve the clot causing the stroke, and an interventional therapy in which a device can actually pull a clot out of the brain.

Read more about Carilion’s stroke initiative in this article in the Roanoke Times.  Listen to the story on WVTF public radio.  Watch coverage on WSLS-TV and WDBJ-TV below.


Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Welcomes Charter Class

VTCinauguralclass-web

 The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTC) welcomed it’s charter class to the school’s brand new campus in Roanoke this morning. After a welcome from Dean Cynda Johnson M.D., a brief orientation and group photo, the students began their first day of classes.

The new medical school is the first public-private partnership of its kind in the state, a joint venture of Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic. The charter class consists of 42 students, 12 women and 30 men. A third of the students are Virginia residents. They represent 35 undergraduate institutes.

The charter class begins an innovative four-year course of study. The patient-centered curriculum is designed to prepare the students for a constantly evolving medical field, and includes a strong emphasis on research and technology. 70% of the students already have research experience. The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute will open on the Roanoke campus later this fall.

 The school will begin interviewing applicants for its second class at the end of August. For more information on VTC, please visit VTC.vt.edu