Your direct line to life-saving stroke expertise

When a stroke occurs, every minute matters—but so does where you receive care. The speed, coordination and expertise behind the emergency room door can mean the difference between long-term disability and a full recovery. At University Hospitals, the emergency rooms don’t just respond to strokes, they activate an advanced stroke care system the moment a patient arrives.

Every UH community emergency room is directly connected to an award-winning network of stroke centers, allowing care teams to assess, treat and escalate stroke care without delay. From immediate clot-busting medication at the local level to rapid transfer for advanced surgical intervention, University Hospitals teams are trained to move as one.

At University Hospitals, the clock doesn’t start when you reach a specialized suite. It starts when you enter the doors. By embedding advanced stroke protocols into its emergency departments across the region, UH has transformed local ERs into powerful gateways to the most sophisticated stroke care available today.

The Gold Standard of Intervention

For the most severe type of stroke, known as a Large Vessel Occlusion, standard medications are often not enough to clear a major blockage. In these cases, Mechanical Thrombectomy is the gold standard of care. 

This advanced procedure allows a specially trained team to physically remove the clot and restore blood flow to the brain, often reversing stroke symptoms in real time. Patients treated quickly can experience dramatically improved outcomes. With University Hospitals, patients have 24/7 access to thrombectomy expertise, no matter which hospital door they enter.

“The landscape of stroke treatment has shifted dramatically with the advancement of thrombectomy,” says Amrou Sarraj, MD, Director of Stroke Systems at University Hospitals Neurological Institute. “By standardizing our protocols across the entire University Hospitals system, we ensure that every patient, regardless of which door they walk through, has an immediate path to the most sophisticated interventions available in modern medicine.”

Proactive Prevention Saves Lives 

While advanced intervention is critical, the most powerful stroke care begins with prevention. Stroke remains a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. During Stroke Awareness Month this May, University Hospitals is bringing life-saving preventive care directly into the community.

Throughout the month, University Hospitals is hosting free stroke screening events at medical centers and community locations across Northeast Ohio. These quick assessments evaluate key risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index—often providing peace of mind or identifying early warning signs.

By detecting stroke risks early, patients can work closely with experts to make informed lifestyle or treatment changes that may help prevent a stroke before it ever happens.

A Proven Standard of Excellence

University Hospitals’ unified approach to stroke care is not just a promise—it is independently verified.

In 2025, the American Heart Association recognized the entire University Hospitals network with multiple Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Awards, including Gold Plus, Target: Stroke Honor Roll, Elite Plus, and Advanced Therapy certifications. These national honors are awarded only to systems that meet the most rigorous standards for speed, accuracy and patient outcomes.

“What differentiates University Hospitals is that we have eliminated the geographic gap in high-end medical care,” says Dr. Sarraj. “By maintaining these elite certifications across our entire network, we ensure that a patient in a community ER is receiving the exact same award-winning protocols and expertise as a patient at our main academic medical center. We operate as one team with one goal: giving every patient their best chance at a full recovery.

University Hospitals

UHHospitals.org/StrokeRisk