Risky plan to pool stroke patients relies on lickety-split timing.

This is an article that discusses the development of a plan to treat stroke victims in Ontario, Canada. Ontario plans to have nine regional centres providing dedicated stroke care unlike anything else in Canada. When that happens, Hamilton paramedic Steve Dewar's job will be even more crucial than it already is. If he can get there within two hours of a stroke's onset, doctors will have just enough time for a powerful clot-busting drug, something not every hospital has the expertise to administer and monitor. The province is also planning prevention clinics to ensure high-risk patients such as diabetics, smokers and the elderly are seen promptly by a specialist and receive all the right artery-checking tests. Plus it wants to group stroke patients together in specific hospitals to improve the quality of care.