Stroke Center

HealthAlliance Hospital has an experienced 24/7 emergency team that can quickly diagnose and treat stroke patients. Treating stroke quickly and getting the patient stabilized can greatly lessen the damage done.

HealthAlliance Hospital received the 2018 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s “Get With the Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award,” for compliance to best practices and guidelines for stroke quality of care and helping patients reduce future stroke risk.

All of our Stroke Unit nurses are stroke certified with the American Heart Association, as well as National Institute of Health stroke assessment scale certification.

You may be experiencing a stroke if you suddenly experience any of the following symptoms:

• Numbness on the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Severe headache with no apparent cause

Reducing stroke risk: Eliminating or reducing as many of the following stroke risk factors as possible is a good plan.

• Reduce high blood pressure: According to a 1996 study in Neurology, 35-50 percent of the risk of stroke is attributed to high blood pressure, so even a small reduction of blood pressure can make a big difference.
• Reduce cholesterol: Statin therapy, which lowers cholesterol levels, also decreases stroke risk by 15%, according to the American Journal of Medicine.
• Treat irregular heartbeat: Patients with atrial fibrillation have an increased chance of developing stroke.
• General tips: A combination of diet and exercise, as well as quitting smoking and alcohol consumption, can reduce stroke risk.

About half of all stroke patients require some form of rehabilitation. Range of motion exercises usually begin soon after patient stabilization. If possible, allowing the patient to move around and communicate within the first 24 and 48 hours can also be very helpful in avoiding complications and improving morale.

There is a comprehensive offering of rehab services at HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley, including:

• Physical and Occupational Therapy: Our inpatient therapy team works to return strength, fine motor skills and balance to functional levels.
• Speech and Language Pathology: We offer language and motor speech therapy, stuttering and voice therapy, and can treat swallowing or dysphagia disorders.
• Social Work: Certified social workers will provide care coordination and case management for patients with rehabilitation needs.
• Audiology: Our audiology department can diagnose how much effect a stroke had on hearing and balance, and works to restore the inner ear to functional levels.

A monthly aphasia support group is offered at MidHudson RegionalHospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth). HealthAlliance patients and the Ulster County community are welcome to participate in this monthly group.

Aphasia is a language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate and is most often caused by a stroke that occurs in areas of the brain that control speech and language.

Whether you’ve been living with aphasia for years or recently diagnosed, the monthly support group strives to bring people facing similar difficulties together in a positive, relaxed atmosphere aimed at fostering better communication through fun, education and practice.

The Aphasia Support Group is held on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. in the Atrium, First Floor Cafe Conference Room at MidHudson Regional Hospital. Each session is facilitated by a licensed and ASHA-Certified speech-language pathologist. Participants are encouraged to bring a friend or family member along for support.

The group is free and open to the public. To register, please call 845.431.8800.