Robert Crown Students Use their Brains at Silver Cross

As part of the Robert Crown Body Trek Course, 50 elementary school students from The Robert Crown School in Naperville came to Silver Cross Hospital on July 23 to learn how to care for patients who suffer from a stroke.  The program offered a valuable experience for students allowing them real insight into medical careers that involve treating stroke patients.

Students spent part of the morning in a lecture learning about the effects of a stroke and the importance of seeking treatment immediately upon onset of symptoms. They also participated in hands-on simulation for the treatment of aneurysms and stroke.  Then they toured Silver Cross’ Interventional Neurosurgical Facilities which includes a biplane angiography system that diagnoses and treats strokes and other neurological diseases.  This advanced technology allows specialists to extend the treatment window up to eight hours to stop a stroke and even reverse its effect. During this time, the students observed Silver Cross physicians, nurses and clinical staff perform procedures using the biplane. By using this new technology, endovascular and surgical procedures can be performed more quickly and with an even greater level of safety for patients by cutting the normal procedure length and radiation exposure in half.

“This was a great opportunity for students to learn about stroke and the advanced treatment options that Silver Cross can provide to their communities,” says Dr. Harish Shownkeen, Medical Director of the Neuro Interventional Program with the Silver Cross Neuroscience Institute.

Silver Cross is one of the few hospitals in the area offering advanced technologies to extend the treatment window for stroke up to 8 hours or more.   Neuro interventional radiologists and neurosurgeons are available 24/7 to treat strokes in our state-of-the-art biplane angiography suite.

What sets the Silver Cross Neuroscience Institute apart from other programs is the ability to not only diagnose and treat stroke but also recover patients right here at Silver Cross.  Silver Cross has partnered with The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), which has been ranked the “Best Rehabilitation Hospital in America” by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991.  Stroke patients benefit from RIC at Silver Cross’ new 24-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit as well as four outpatient facilities—at the hospital, Homer Glen, New Lenox (Route 30) and West Joliet.

Learn more about the Silver Cross Stroke Program, and request a free Stroke Awareness Kit, at www.silvercross.org/neuro or by calling 1-888- 660-HEAL (4325).

“By partnering with Robert Crown School, we remain committed to the communities we serve,” said Paul Pawlak, President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital. “We understand the importance of exposing today’s students to a variety of healthcare professions; and by preparing these future leaders to select a profession; we assist in supporting our local communities to flourish.”