Stroke is a significant problem in South Carolina, with stroke rates among the highest in the nation. Strokes also occur more frequently in younger persons in South Carolina than in other parts of the United States.

To provide its patients with the best chance of returning to a pre-stroke state of health, McLeod Regional Medical Center and McLeod Medical Center Dillon are partners in the REACH Stroke Network.

REACH (Remote Evaluation of Acute Ischemic Stroke), is a web-based, tele-medicine system. Through this system, urgent, specialized stroke consultations are delivered to the physicians and nurses caring for acute stroke patients in emergency departments such as at McLeod. Emergency departments often receive stroke patients but do not have 24/7 coverage from a neurologist for the rapid evaluation of patients presenting with stroke symptoms.

When it comes to stroke, time lost is brain lost. The longer it takes a stroke patient to receive care, the greater the chances of permanent disability or even death. This system allows the physicians at McLeod to diagnose and treat stroke patients with the latest therapies quickly and without delays.

In 2000, McLeod Regional Medical Center opened the first Stroke Unit in the region dedicated exclusively to the treatment and care of patients who have suffered a stroke. The 14-bed Stroke Unit is staffed by nurses who have been specially trained to recognize even subtle changes in their patients. Stroke patients treated in the unit benefit from the lower nurse to patient ratio and aggressive rehabilitation.