Missed chances: Delays in seeking treatment, gaps in care mean few receive drug treatment for stroke

I love lifeguarding stories -- and this is a big one in the Sunday P-G:

Missed chances: Delays in seeking treatment, gaps in care mean few receive drug treatment for stroke: "But delays in getting to the hospital and gaps in the system of care mean that stories such as Mr. Mayros' remain the exception. "

Longterm: I think EMS should merge -- among CITY and COUNTY wide entities. We'll need to really work hard on that merger as there are so many smaller EMS groups in the burbs.

Furthermore, the academic folks at Pitt need to be pulled into a leadership role in that discussion -- so its focus is on best practices and patient care with evidence.

Finally, we need to do much more in the city with defibrillators -- devices that can re-start the heart's beating -- as that is proving to be more of a help than CPR. And, we don't have the devices in public spaces as we should in the city.

It took our old mayor, Tom Murphy, nearly 12 years to merge 911 services. That merger (of 911) was a no-brainer. To make a real movement, we'll need to move along to EMS and other merger discussions.