By Mark Brown

There aren’t many medical conditions more terrifying than a stroke. It can come on quickly, which means patients need answers – and treatments – fast. Few places can provide the level of care that Humber River Health’s Stroke Prevention Clinic offers. Dr. Jonathan Pelikan, a neurologist in the clinic, is part of the team that’s helping improve the level of care and finding ways to cut wait times from months down to a single day in many cases.

Tell me about the Stroke Prevention Clinic at Humber.

We have two neurology clinics – the Stroke Prevention Clinic, which is for patients at high risk of a stroke or “ministroke,” and the Neurology Urgent Care Clinic. Both deal with patients who are referred on an urgent basis for neurological issues.

What makes the stroke clinic at Humber unique?

Our efficiency is our best feature. When I started, we had much higher wait times, but by modifying our acceptance criteria, and with other neurologists coming on, we were able to bring those wait times down to the next day. Now, we can see more patients that are high risk in a shorter amount of time and deliver appropriate care sooner.

The clinic also relies on nurse practitioners. Why is that role so important?

We have an incredible team at the clinic, which speaks volumes for patient care. Nurse practitioners take patient history, order preliminary tests, follow up on abnormal results, handle urgent referrals and triage patients who need to be seen quickly by neurologists. That allows us to focus on doing a detailed neurological examination with that extra time and gives us the chance to see more patients in the day.

How do patients react when they first visit the clinic?

The word “stroke” is a heavy one and often quite terrifying for someone to hear. They’re usually coming in with an assortment of questions and maybe even a degree of confusion as to what happened, what we do for a living, and what happens next. They’re often scared but appreciative of being seen quickly.

What attracted you to the Stroke Prevention Clinic at Humber?

I knew I wanted to work in a big, new hospital, with innovation and growth, and Humber fit that perfectly. I love the diversity of the community, and the cases can be quite interesting, each patient’s story a little bit different.

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