Stroke is a medical emergency, and the care a person receives in the first hours and days after a stroke has a significant impact on recovery.
At Hawkesbury & District General Hospital (HGH), patients presenting with stroke symptoms continue to receive urgent assessment and emergency treatment close to home. HGH remains a Tele stroke Thrombolysis Centre, meaning patients can be rapidly assessed in the Emergency Department and, when appropriate, receive clot-busting medication with real-time support from a stroke neurologist through virtual technology.
As part of Ontario’s regional stroke care system, some patients who require specialized inpatient stroke unit care may be transferred to a designated stroke unit within the Champlain Region, such as hospitals in Ottawa.
About the Regional Stroke System
More than 20 years ago, the Ministry of Health introduced the Ontario Stroke Strategy to improve access to timely, high‑quality stroke care across the province. Hospital and healthcare partners were organized into a regional system to ensure patients receive the most appropriate level of care based on their clinical needs.
HGH is part of the Champlain Regional Stroke-System, which includes hospitals and healthcare organizations across Eastern Ontario
Our community is part of the Champlain regional stroke system, which serves a large and diverse geographic area, including Renfrew County, the City of Ottawa, Prescott and Russell, Stormont–Dundas–Glengarry, Akwesasne (ON), North Grenville, and North Lanark. Hospitals in this region work together as a coordinated network so that patients can receive the level of care they need, even if that care is not available at the hospital where they first arrive.
Why specialized stroke unit care matters
Research has shown that nearly all stroke patients benefit from admission to a dedicated specialized stroke unit where interprofessional teams have advanced expertise in stroke monitoring and treatment, recovery and rehabilitation planning.
These units provide coordinated, evidence-based care designed to reduce complications and support recovery following a stroke.
As part of ongoing provincial alignment with Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations, hospitals within the Champlain region have aligned services so that patients requiring this level of specialized inpatient stroke care are transferred to designated stroke unit centres.
What it means for patients and families
- Emergency stroke care remains local. Patients continue to receive urgent assessment, stabilization, and time-sensitive treatment at HGH.
- Transfers are based on clinical need. Only patients requiring specialized inpatient stroke unit care are transferred.
- Care continues without interruption. Stroke teams work closely together to ensure that information, treatment plans and follow-up care transition seamlessly.
- Patient safety remains the priority. Transfers are coordinated using established regional protocols to ensure patients receive timely and appropriate care.
Recognizing the impact on patients and families
HGH recognizes that transfers away from the community can be difficult for patients and families. While no one wishes to be farther from home during a medical emergency, the regional stroke system is designed to ensure patients requiring specialized inpatient stroke care have access to the services, monitoring, and expertise best suited to their condition.
Care pathways for Quebec patients have not changed as part of this alignment. HGH continues to work closely with regional and provincial partners to ensure Quebec patients receive safe, timely, and appropriate stroke care based on their clinical needs.
— France Paquet, Chief Nursing Executive and Vice-President of Professional Practice
HGH remains committed to providing high-quality bilingual emergency and hospital care close to home and continues to play an important role in stroke assessment, urgent treatment, and ongoing coordination of care within the regional system.