CONTRA COSTA (KCBS)— Health officials in Contra Costa are getting ready to open six stroke centers to prevent people from sustaining long-term brain damage and will accept patients from all over the country.

At one time, strokes were the third-leading cause of death in Contra Costa. Now there’s an estimated one thousand suspected cases of stroke every year.

KCBS’ Dave Padilla Reports:

These specialized centers differ from regular hospitals and will have the capability of treating victims much faster.

Craig Stroup, the county’s Stroke Program Coordinator, said the symptoms of a stroke are fairly obvious and include;” loss of use of one side of their body, including their arm and leg, sudden onset of vision problems, sudden headaches that are unexplained and severe, dizziness and slurred speech.”

Stroup said the hospitals will be in various parts of the county and will be able to treat victims within the first three-to-four hours, a critical time for clearing up the stroke or reducing any long-term disability.

“These facilities have been accredited and checked so that they’re specially trained to rapidly assess and rapidly take care of it,” Stroup said.

John Muir Medical Center, Kaiser Permanent and Doctors Medical Center San Pablo have been accredited to run a Primary Stroke Center that offers patients a much quicker response.

Stroup advises anyone who thinks that he or she might be suffering a stroke to call 911 immediately and to not ignore the symptoms.

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