| "Operation Stroke" Awareness Program Kicks Off at Little Company of Mary-San Pedro Hospital rehabcentre |
Posted: January 29, 2002 |
San Pedro, CA � Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Someone dies of a stroke every 3.3 minutes. Americans will pay about $45 billion in the coming year for stroke-related medical costs and disability. For each of these reasons, Little Company of Mary � San Pedro Hospital�s rehabcentre is leading the charge to educate the community about the �Operation Stroke� initiative. �Operation Stroke� requires the community to work together to save lives and reduce the number of stroke disabilities. The goal of the initiative is to make sure that the general public is aware of stroke warning signs, what to do if a stroke occurs and how to prevent a stroke from happening.
Little Company of Mary � San Pedro Hospital�s rehabcentre along with Little Company of Mary Hospital, Torrance Memorial Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, the Beach Cities Health District and the American Heart Association are organizing a community education program. Each health care facility plans to publicize information about strokes in their publications. They also plan to organize a countrywide public service campaign.
The warning signs of a stroke are: Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing with one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or coordination; sudden severe headache with no known cause.
What to do when stroke symptoms strike: Don�t ignore warning signs and call 911.
Dr. Anh Long, medical director of rehabcentre, believes the community approach may be the key in getting the message out. �Because stroke is preventable and can have such devastating impact on patients and families, we must make the effort to educate people about its risk factors and warning signs.�
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