Recently, Sequoyah Memorial was honored to have been chosen as a feature facility on the website of the Heartland Telehealth Resource Center.  Sequoyah Memorial’s telestroke program will be the highlight of a soon-to-be-released video produced by the center.  The video will serve as a learning tool for other healthcare facilities either wishing to enhance their telemedicine programs or implement programs from the ground up. The Heartland Telehealth Resource Center (HTRC) assists in the development of sustainable telehealth programs and networks, as well as aid in the expansion of existing ones (heartlandtrc.org).  The primary purpose for all HTRC activity is to increase access to health care for Americans living in rural areas by assisting communities in building capacity to develop sustainable telehealth programs and networks.  In addition, HTRC encourages and assists in the expansion of existing programs and networks to obtain optimum application of available resources.

On Wednesday, April 18, a film crew from HTRC visited Sequoyah Memorial and conducted interviews with staff involved in the telemedicine program and also with a patient who benefited from the service.  Sequoyah Memorial’s telemedicine program caught the eye of HTRC because of the hospital’s Community Health Champion award for telemedicine.  The crew filmed the facility and the workings of the telestroke program.  “Anytime we can showcase our telemedicine program is a chance to inform and educate the community about this valuable service,” said Debbie Knoke, CEO. 

Sequoyah Memorial is designated as a Primary Stroke Center by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.  This distinction marks Sequoyah Memorial as a leader in stroke treatment.  “Through telemedicine, we can provide immediate access to life-saving stroke treatment,” said Knoke.  “We can connect live to our neurologist who then, along with the SMH stroke team, will evaluate the patient in real-time and determine if he or she is a candidate for the clot-buster drug, TPA.” 

Sequoyah Memorial belongs to a consortium of ten hospitals in Oklahoma and Arkansas which serves to regionalize healthcare through telemedicine in rural areas.   “The wonderful thing about telemedicine is that it connects patients in rural areas to specialists in urban areas- specialists who can provide life-saving treatment and care,” said Knoke. 

For more information about Sequoyah Memorial’s telemedicine program or hospital services, visit www.sequoyahmemorial.com or call 918-774-1100.

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