The telemedicine program at Sequoyah Memorial Hospital in Sallisaw has grabbed the attention of National Public Radio.

Austin O’Neal, his wife, Carol, and Debbie Knoke, Sequoyah Memorial Hospital chief executive officer, were interviewed by National Public Radio about O’Neal’s experience with the telemedicine program and about the value of having telemedicine in rural areas.

O’Neal had always been a relatively healthy man, staying active with his family and grandchildren and his automobile repair shop.

March 18 started out as a normal day for him, after lifting his grandbaby in the air he left for work. However, not 10 minutes down the road, he knew that something serious was wrong. Severe pain radiated into his right shoulder then down into his right arm, Holly Dickson, Sequoyah Memorial Hospital public relations officer, said.

O’Neal pressed on, knowing he had to at least make it off the interstate. He made it to his shop in Sallisaw where he was greeted by his son and an employee who knew the minute he arrived that he was in trouble, Dickson said.

“The first thing I said was ‘Get me to the Sallisaw hospital,’” O’Neal said. “The minute I arrived at Sequoyah Memorial I was put in a wheelchair and taken to the back. I think by this time about 35 to 40 minutes had elapsed from when I first started having symptoms. By this time, I had lost complete movement on my right side.”

O’Neal’s suspected diagnosis was a stroke, Dickson said.

Patients benefit

O’Neal is another patient in the line of people who have been effectively treated for a stroke at Sequoyah Memorial via telemedicine equipment. Telemedicine allows a live connection, via the Internet and a television monitor, to specialists who are not on site but may be in major medical centers in other cities, Dickson said.

In this case, as with all the others, O’Neal was connected via telemedicine to Margaret Tremwel, M.D., a neurologist with Sparks Health System in Fort Smith, Ark., from the emergency room at Sequoyah Memorial Hospital in Sallisaw (SMH), Dickson said.

Through telemedicine, Dr. Tremwel, along with the emergency department physician and stroke team at SMH, was able to evaluate O’Neal in real time, Dickson said.

Through her evaluation, she was able to determine that O’Neal was a candidate for the clot-buster drug, a drug that ultimately saved his life. He was then stabilized and transferred to Sparks for additional treatment, Dickson said.

“I am so thankful that I got to Sequoyah Memorial as quickly as I did,” O’Neal said.

“It was after I was discharged from Sparks that I found out how crucial the three hour window from the first onset of symptoms to the time you get the clot-buster drug is. You only have a certain amount of time before you can have that injection. It is so wonderful to have that technology and capability in our community. When you’re having a stroke, those seconds are crucial and you don’t have time to drive to a hospital far away,” O’Neal said.

“The scope of rural healthcare should not be underestimated,” Knoke said.

“According to the Oklahoma Hospital Association, of the 124 hospitals in the state of Oklahoma, we are among the first to utilize telemedicine for stroke treatment in the emergency department. This is a crowning moment for our staff, patients, and community. Our Stroke Team has been working diligently with Dr. Tremwel and Sparks Regional Medical Center since 2008 to bring this service to our community,” Knoke said.

Program began in 2008

Sequoyah Memorial first began the process of obtaining telemedicine services in the summer of 2008, Knoke said.

The equipment obtained by Sequoyah Memorial will be used not only for stroke intervention and treatment, but also for other specialties and will provide critical medical support and access to specialists in urban areas, Knoke said.

The first project for telemedicine utilization for Sequoyah Memorial was the stroke treatment program in conjunction with Dr. Tremwel. Prior to Sequoyah Memorial launching the telemedicine program, Dr. Tremwel conducted training with SMH staff.

According to Knoke, the nursing staff and physicians are certified in American Heart NIH Stroke Certification. The stroke team includes physicians, nurses, pharmacy technicians, lab and radiology technologists, clerical staff, and information technology staff.

“This new service aligns directly with the mission of SMH in providing local access for services that enhance the individual health and well-being of our patients,” Knoke said.

Sequoyah Memorial has endless potential with the highly skilled staff and the capabilities of telemedicine, Knoke said.

The patient is Sequoyah Memorial’s main focus and also drives the hospital’s commitment to excellence, Knoke said.

“The telemedicine service would not be possible without the Sequoyah Memorial Hospital Ladies’ Auxiliary group. Their dedication to this cause was instrumental. Their donation of $15,000 was paramount to Sequoyah Memorial securing the needed equipment to implement telemedicine,” Knoke said.

The support of Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Telemedicine program, through first bringing awareness of the telemedicine opportunities and the capabilities of collaboration with Sparks Health Systems and through their donation of the telemedicine cart, was very significant; their dedication to the health of rural Oklahoma is evident through their mission, which is to provide specialty physicians and services to rural Oklahomans through telemedicine, Knoke said.

“Sequoyah Memorial is aware that our region ranks number one in the nation for the incidence of stroke among residents because the area is lumped into the Fort Smith, Ark., area,” Knoke said.

Stroke prevention

Arkansas ranks number one in the nation for stroke. It was this knowledge that drove Sequoyah Memorial to break into the field of telemedicine to provide residents with immediate access to life-saving healthcare.

“We are also very thankful to Dr. Tremwel and Sparks Health System for raising awareness about stroke in our region,” Knoke said. “Dr. Tremwel has a passion for the stroke prevention and treatment program. Her motivation has been contagious at SMH. We are dedicated to this program and very proud of our SMH team. They are second to none and they are making a difference in the health of our community.”

“We didn’t even know the hospital had this equipment,” O’Neal said. “You can bet I’m going to be telling everyone I know where to go if they think they’re having a stroke. Having that injection so quickly I know saved my life or kept me from being totally debilitated. Especially with ours being a rural hospital, I was really impressed with Sequoyah Memorial.”