Outreach team brings stroke education to communities across the Central Valley

Outreach team brings stroke education to communities across the Central Valley

Time matters when someone is having a stroke. To help save lives, Community is bringing stroke education and awareness to people across Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kings and Tulare counties.

Stroke is the number one cause of death in the U.S.

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. It's the leading cause of death for Americans - yet 1 in 3 younger adults can't recognize the signs.

"Two million brain cells are lost a minute while a stroke is taking place," said Joyce Eden, Stroke Supervisor, Community Health System. "The sooner you or someone near you recognizes stroke symptoms and calls 9-1-1, the sooner you can get help."

Eden and her team have taught people about stroke prevention and signs across the Central Valley at events such as fairs, farmers markets, new year festivals, and senior center gatherings.

"Anywhere that will have us, we go," said Eden. "We want to give our community the best power source to improve their health when it comes to stroke, and that is preventing and recognizing stroke symptoms."

'Be FAST' when assessing risk of stroke

Eden's goal is to teach the acronym Be FAST, which is designed to help people quickly spot the signs of stroke:

B - Balance problems

Sudden difficulty walking, dizziness or a loss of coordination

E - Eyesight issues

A sudden loss of vision or double vision in one or both eyes

F - Facial weakness or drooping

An unusually uneven or lopsided smile, or numbness on one side of the face

A - Arm weakness or clumsiness

If you raise both arms in the air and one begins to fall

S - Speech clumsiness or slurring

Having difficulty speaking or understanding speech, or struggling to write

T - Time to get to a hospital fast

Getting to the emergency room quickly means the chances of restoring normal blood flow to the brain and preserving brain function are much better.

The outreach team is also teaching community members about the importance of prevention, and that means lifestyle changes.

"There are a lot of controllable factors that we have, between stress and diet and exercise," said Eden.

She adds that there are some warning signs that should never be ignored. If you have a sudden and unusually severe headache, for example, be sure to get it checked out.

The future of stroke outreach at Community

Eden and her team have been to seven events since September of last year, and plan to educate people in even more communities - especially in rural areas - in the coming year.

"I think what keeps us inspired is the stories," she said. "We have people walk up and tell us their loved one, their neighbor, they got to help. And what a great experience it was to see them return back home and to their community."

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