Lifesaving Telestroke Expands to Standish, Tawas

MyMichigan Health is expanding access to lifesaving stroke care at its Medical Centers in Standish and Tawas City with the launch of a telestroke service in partnership with University of Michigan Health. The collaboration connects patients in northeast Michigan with nationally recognized stroke specialists through secure, state-of-the-art telemedicine technology, reflecting MyMichigan Health’s continued investment in expanding access to advanced stroke care across the region and its mission of “Creating Healthy Communities Together.”

University of Michigan Health’s Telestroke Program has been serving hospitals across Michigan since 2016, providing expert stroke consultation to thousands of patients statewide. With the addition of MyMichigan Medical Centers in Standish and Tawas City, the program further strengthens timely, high-quality stroke care in rural communities.

“University of Michigan Health is our stroke partner, and a consult with their specialists is part of the protocol for assessing and treating stroke patients at MyMichigan Health Emergency Departments,” said Steven Blodgett, M.B.A., virtual care program manager for MyMichigan Health. “The service is available everywhere we have an emergency department. Whether a patient is in Standish, Tawas City or the Sault, they have access to the same world-class care through telemedicine. Hundreds of patients have already benefited from telestroke services across the MyMichigan Health system.”

Telemedicine uses advanced technology to provide health care remotely, allowing patients to receive expert care without the need to travel long distances. In stroke cases, specialized equipment is required to support rapid and accurate evaluation.

“From a technical standpoint, telemedicine is much more than just a video chat,” Blodgett said. “With stroke care, we use top-of-the-line equipment, including high-definition cameras that specialists can control remotely, extreme close-up imaging, and even a digital stethoscope so the physician in Ann Arbor can listen in real time.”

When a patient arrives at any MyMichigan Medical Center with signs of a stroke, the emergency department team immediately connects with the University of Michigan Health Telestroke Program using digital tools. The stroke specialist can virtually examine the patient using secure video, review CT scans as they are performed, and collaborate with the local care team to make real-time treatment decisions.

This rapid access to expertise is critical when every second counts.

“Our teams in emergency medicine, hospital medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, critical care and rehabilitation services have 24/7 access to collaborate with highly specialized stroke experts,” said Mike Erickson, president, MyMichigan Medical Centers Saginaw, Standish, Tawas, Towne Centre and Alpena. “Together, they provide fast diagnosis and treatment planning that can save lives and preserve vital functions such as speech, memory and movement. With telestroke, that expert care comes right to the patient’s bedside in northeast Michigan.”

The telestroke program is designed to reduce time to ischemic stroke treatment, including faster administration of clot-busting medications or rapid transfer to advanced stroke centers when procedures like thrombectomy are needed. By bridging gaps in care, telestroke improves outcomes for patients in communities without around-the-clock, on-site neurology coverage.

“Telemedicine lets us deliver world-class care to communities that never had access before,” Erickson said. “You can walk into any MyMichigan Health Emergency Department and receive the same stroke care you would at a major academic medical center. That’s the beauty of telemedicine—it removes geography as a barrier to care. With the launch of telestroke services in Standish and Tawas City, residents of northeast Michigan now have greater access to timely, expert stroke care—close to home.”

Key Benefits of Telestroke Services

• Faster treatment: Reduces “door-to-needle” time for clot-busting medications.
• Access to expertise: Connects rural and underserved hospitals with specialized stroke neurologists.
• Improved outcomes: Timely, expert decision-making leads to better recovery and reduced disability.

“We are proud to partner with MyMichigan care teams, providing 24/7 access to vascular neurology expertise to ensure patients receive timely, high-quality stroke care within their community,” said Erika Weil, M.D., Director of the U-M Health Telestroke Program.

“For the last 10 years, we have continued to expand access to such care across the state of Michigan, and we look forward to serving patients in northeast Michigan.”

In addition to the telestroke network, additional collaborations MyMichigan Health currently holds with Michigan Medicine include expanding multidisciplinary cancer care through.

tumor boards; specialty clinics including Breast Reconstruction, Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Clinic, Urologic Oncology, Gynecologic Oncology, Musculoskeletal Oncology, Advanced Liver Disease, Pediatric Orthopedics, Pediatric Pulmonology; as well as the U-M Movement Disorders Clinic in Midland.

Those interested in more information about stroke may take a free stroke assessment at www.mymichigan.org/strokerisk. Additional information on MyMichigan Health neurosciences may be found at  www.mymichigan.org/neuroscience.