Stroke Rapid Assessment Unit

Regional Stroke Program

The Division of Neurology, in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of British Columbia and Stroke Services B.C., is centred out of the Victoria General Hospital. The goal of the program is to offer all residents of the Vancouver Island Health Authority with stroke symptoms the opportunity to receive focussed specialized stroke care.

If you are experiencing new or worsening symptoms of a stroke, please call 911.

The Stroke Rapid Assessment Units (SRAU) are located at the Victoria General Hospital and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, as well as the North Island Stroke Prevention Clinic at the Campbell River Hospital providing rapid access to:

• Neurologists and internal medicine specialists with special interests in stroke
• Nurses with special training in stroke care
• imaging studies of the brain and blood vessels

This allows for timely assessment of patients who have suffered a minor stroke or TIA, which significantly reduces the number of first and recurrent strokes. It also allows for early identification of patients who are candidates for surgery on the major blood vessels to the brain, as well as prompt placement on medications for stroke prevention.