BATESVILLE — Janie Evans, White River Medical Center clinical educator/trauma program manager, is no stranger to working in a hospital — she’s been a nurse for 29 years.
Evans received an award from the Arkansas Department of Health for her collaboration with the Emergency Medical Services in the area.
“We’re trying to improve communication between EMS and the emergency department,” Evans said.
Time is crucial when it comes to stroke victims, Evans said.
“We only have a three-hour window to be able to get help and not have [permanent damage],” she said.
The effort for quicker, better care for stroke patients is to prevent this permanent damage.
“If we don’t care for them quickly, they’re going to have residual effects, and that’s not what we want,” Evans said.
Evans said someone from the ambulance will call the emergency department to let staff know the patient is on his way to the hospital.
“[A call] alerts our staff to get a [CT scan] ready and get prepared to roll stuff out quicker,” she said.
When the call, or code stroke, is radioed to the emergency department, preparations are made to give the patient the best care possible, Evans said.
She, along with the hospital, recently received recognition at the Arkansas SAVES Telestroke conference for improving care for stroke victims who come to the hospital.
She said White River Medical Center sees 25 to 30 stroke patients per month.
The hospital was awarded with the Best Defect-Free Care in the Medium Stroke Volume Category, which means the emergency room staff follows correct protocol when stroke patients are brought to the hospital.
Evans also was named the 2013 Nurse Facilitator of the Year for Arkansas SAVES.
Evans, who has been at the hospital since 1984, said she is proud of the awards she and the hospital have received.
“I felt like [the awards] validated that I’m doing my job,” Evans said.
Staff writer Lisa Burnett can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or lburnett@arkansasonline.com.