Eye on Health: Stroke Program - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Eye on Health: Stroke Program

Every 45 seconds someone is the United States is suffering a stroke, and the numbers are climbing.  
In this week's Eye on Health, Carla Burbidge tells us about a stroke awareness project at the North Dakota
State Fair.   

Walk around at the North Dakota State fair, and greasy fatty foods are everywhere.  That's part of the attraction of a state fair.  Yet we know that we can't be eating these kinds of foods everyday.  

In today's world,  bad eating habits and poor lifestyle choices, are leading to more medical issues.  Like stroke.  Trinity Health is part of the year -old North Dakota State Stroke program, an added emphasis on quick response in cases of stroke.  

Jerilyn Alexander, Stoke Coordinator, Trinity Health,"the sooner you come in, sooner we get you medicine, the better your chances"

Realizing that education is key, Trinity is trying to reach people through this booth at the North Dakota State Fair, in the commercial two building.  To remember the warning signs, think of FAST. F for facial trouble, a for arm strength, s for slurred speech, and T for time.  Trinity's goal to get a patient those all important clot-busting drugs fast, and to do, they try to have a c-t scan complete within 25 minutes of arrival in the E. R.  


Alexander "the last three months we are under that, I am so proud of the emergency room>>

She says stroke is not an old person's disease, they see young patients too, a patient recently  was only 21. Recovery from a stroke can be a long process, and once you have had one stroke, chances of another one increase greatly.  

Alexander, "people don't know the risks, and how important it is to come in quickly, we need to keep working on education"

Certainly enjoy the fair, just get back to healthy habits soon.  For Eye on Health I'm Carla Burbidge.