Healthcare in Brookhaven and the surrounding area just got even better.

     The region has long been blessed with outstanding medical services through King’s Daughters Medical Center, and now with KDMC’s recent partnership with St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital, even greater treatment options are available locally.

     Through cutting-edge technology, local healthcare professionals can now have “face-to-face” consultations with specialty physicians at St. Dominic.

     The link is provided through a tool called the REACH Access Point Cart,

which is equipped with a computer, a pair of monitors, speakers, a microphone and a camera with ultra high resolution.

     KDMC physicians can use the technology to aid with stroke prevention and treatment since the hospital lacks its own specialized neurologists.

     The new cart was recently positioned in the ER at KDMC, allowing local medical staff to project patient stats to one of eight specialized neurologists at St. Dominic’s in Jackson.

     Data from a computed tomography, or CT, scan can be transmitted to the unit while nurses enter basic patient information.

     The neurologist at St. Dominic will be able to receive the data on a laptop, allowing the specialist to examine the patient remotely through the camera.

     Without either the patient or the specialist having to travel, a diagnosis can be made and treatment recommended, which doctors at KDMC can then carry out.

     For a patient suffering a stroke, seconds can make a world of difference, and the new technology at KDMC will be able to offer that lifesaving option immediately.

     “It is very important to us that a patient in a rural community such as Brookhaven have the same access to care as a person in the Metro Jackson area.” Wendy Barrilleaux, stroke coordinator at St. Dominic’s, said regarding the new computer link.

     Now we do have that access, thanks to KDMC’s new partnership.