Elevating the level of Stroke care throughout Illinois

OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute has welcomed Arun Talkad, M.D. as Ministry Medical Director of Stroke.

In that role, Dr. Talkad will oversee and help determine how to standardize and optimize stroke care for the 12 hospitals in the OSF HealthCare system outside of Peoria. The communities have a range of hospital services with varying degrees of access to medical care, particularly for the more rural areas of Illinois. Dr. Talkad’s work will focus on making sure everyone receives the best care possible.

With OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria and OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford both accredited as Comprehensive Stroke Centers, Dr. Talkad sees Teleneurology playing a prominent role.

"The goal eventually is to have inpatient dedicated teleneuro hospitalists, as I call them, so that they're actually functioning like hospitalists we have here (in Peoria) except through the computer, but in the hospitals, past the ER, so that on a daily basis we can see our patients in the local hospitals and still offer expert neurologic care without them having to come here.”

Dr. Talkad applauds the recent advances in stroke care but says more education of the public is needed about the risks of stroke and the need to quickly seek care.

“Stroke doesn't have pain and so people tend to ignore the symptoms a little bit longer, and the longer we ignore those symptoms the less chances that we can recover. But now with more of these trials coming out showing that we can treat people later maybe that will allow for more of that education to say ‘if you’re having these stroke symptoms, you need to seek help now.’”

Prior to his new role, Dr. Talkad was a Stroke Fellow and attending neurologist at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Most recently he was Stroke Medical Director and attending neurologist at hospitals in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He is Board Certified in Neurology and Neurocritical Care.

Learn more about stroke symptoms and treatment, including the need to act F.A.S.T. if you or a loved one are having a stroke.