Introduced in 2014 under the direction of Dr. James Grotta, the Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) is the first specialized ambulance for prehospital stroke treatment in the United States. The MSU provides all diagnostic tools and stroke expertise that result in therapeutic treatment at the site of the emergency.
This novel model for delivering acute stroke treatment is advancing stroke care in Houston and has the potential for broad impact across the nation. If patients can be evaluated, imaged and treated before they are transported via ambulance to the emergency department, data suggests that prehospital treatment can save a critical hour almost doubling the odds of a patient being discharged directly to home after their stroke. It is expected that patients treated on the MSU will have fewer long term disabilities, providing them with a better quality of life, and potentially reducing overall health care costs.
Please consider making a gift today to support the Mobile Stroke Unit which will allow us to treat more Houstonians and answer our research questions more quickly. For more information on how you can support this program or make a multi-year commitment, please contact the Memorial Hermann Foundation at
(713) 242-4400 or mh.foundation@memorialhermann.org.