Helping provide the most advanced stroke care, close to home
Stroke patients in Mercy Folsom’s Emergency Pavilion now have immediate access to a Mercy Neurological Institute stroke specialist, with the help of a new wireless telemedicine robot – the InTouch Health RP-7.
The robot, the first of its kind in the Sacramento region, connects stroke patients to neurologists from the Mercy Neurological Institute at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento and Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael within minutes. Both hospitals are nationally certified as primary stroke centers, giving patients the most advanced stroke care available.
Specialists at these hospital sites control the wireless, mobile remote presence robot at Mercy Folsom which enables them to examine and talk directly to patients, consult with on-site physicians, assist and help direct therapy and interact directly with the family.
The RP-7ä, manufactured by InTouch Health, a 5-foot-tall cylinder-shaped robot has a flat-screen computer monitor as a face on which patients, family and staff can see the physician’s face in real time. A zoom-lens camera and microphone on top of the screen enables physicians to see and hear patients during examinations and read patient charts and test results. The physician operates the robot from an off-site control station equipped with a laptop, video camera, microphone, joystick and specialized software.
The Elliott Family Foundations’ generous gift of $500,000 makes it possible
The Elliott Family Foundations, the philanthropic entity of Elliott Homes, support numerous projects, both nationally and regionally. Their generous gift of $500,000 to Mercy Foundation to grow the regional efforts of the Mercy Neurological Institute, will support efforts to reduce the incidence of stroke and improve treatment options for this life-threatening and disabling disease.
