Stroke Rapid Assessment Unit

Stroke Rapid Assessment Unit

Regional Stroke Program

The Division of Neurology, in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of British Columbia and Stroke Services B.C., is centred out of the Victoria General Hospital. The goal of the program is to offer all residents of the Vancouver Island Health Authority with stroke symptoms the opportunity to receive focussed specialized stroke care.

If you are experiencing new or worsening symptoms of a stroke, please call 911.

The Stroke Rapid Assessment Units (SRAU) are located at the Victoria General Hospital and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, as well as the North Island Stroke Prevention Clinic at the Campbell River Hospital providing rapid access to:

  • Neurologists and internal medicine specialists with special interests in stroke
  • Nurses with special training in stroke care
  • imaging studies of the brain and blood vessels

This allows for timely assessment of patients who have suffered a minor stroke or TIA, which significantly reduces the number of first and recurrent strokes. It also allows for early identification of patients who are candidates for surgery on the major blood vessels to the brain, as well as prompt placement on medications for stroke prevention.

General Information on Stroke Rapid Assessment Unit

Referral Required?
Required
Contact Us

Nanaimo: 250-740-6926

Victoria: 250-727-4056

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Learn About

News & Events

Medical scan of a brain that has experienced a stroke

Time is neurons: how artificial intelligence is transforming stroke care

Time is precious – and perhaps no more so than when someone suffers a stroke. Patients can lose millions of valuable nerve cells in the brain, called neurons, every minute they remain untreated.

Read more

Women hugging holding yoga mats

Island Health Magazine Winter 2020

The Winter 2020 issue of Island Health magazine encourages readers to live their healthiest life. Read features on how to keep your resolutions; re-thinking “diets” and some delicious soup recipes. Also included in this issue are articles about the stigma of mental illness and an Island Health Research project on dementia.

Read more

port alice

Temporary service reduction at Port Alice Health Centre

Island Health is advising that, despite significant effort to fill shifts, there is a temporary shortage of registered nurses and physicians over the holiday season resulting in a temporary service reduction at the Port Alice Health Centre.

Read more