Two of three recipients of new state grants for mobile stroke units are Teaching Hospitals of Texas members – UMC El Paso and Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
UMC El Paso received $500,000 to expand its existing mobile stroke unit, and Dell Seton Medical Center received $1.25 million to launch a new mobile stroke unit.
“Making sure world-class care is available in the community is core to THOT members’ missions,” said Maureen Milligan, president and CEO, Teaching Hospitals of Texas. “Mobile stroke units are yet another way our teaching and public hospitals prioritize early intervention and responsiveness, improve care outcomes, reduce morbidity, and make sure the expertise and caliber of an academic medical center are widely available.”
Launched in 2021, the UMC El Paso Mobile Stroke Unit is a specialized ambulance that saves crucial time for patients experiencing stroke symptoms. It is equipped with a 16-slice CT scanner for brain imaging so the onboard team can quickly assess the patient’s condition and immediately administer life-saving medications and treatments before the patient gets to the hospital. The expertise available via the Mobile Stroke Unit comes from neuroscience nurses and technicians from UMC, onboard EMTs from the El Paso Fire Department, and doctors from Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso who support patients via a specialized telehealth system inside the unit. UMC is El Paso’s only Joint Commission-certified Level 1 Comprehensive Stroke Center. When it was first deployed, the mobile unit was one of just 20 in the U.S. and 30 in the world.
As one of the first two hospitals in Texas to receive Primary Stroke Certification from The Joint Commission, Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas at Austin also has the first dedicated neurocritical care unit in Central Texas.
Governor Abbott and the 89th Texas Legislature appropriated $5 million to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to improve stroke outcomes statewide through mobile stroke services. The remaining $2.5 million will be distributed in fiscal year 2027.
