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St. Mary Hosts Take 2 to Save 2
Educational Event
Important message is
part of May’s American Stroke Month and the American Stroke Association's
Power to End Stroke program.
LANGHORNE , PA. , April 19, 2010 – St. Mary
Medical Center will host Take 2 to Save 2 on May 2 from 2
to 6 p.m. at Northampton Valley Country Club, 10 Harmony Drive , in
Richboro , PA , in partnership with the American Stroke Association and
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP). The program features nationally recognized Gospel Music
performers Myron Butler and Dottie Peoples; famous comedian Charles
Walden; and Dr. Emil Matarese, a national ambassador for the American
Stroke Association's "Power to End Stroke" campaign and director of the
Primary Stroke Center at St. Mary Medical Center. Prominent entertainers,
sports figures, and Gospel music choirs from Trenton to Philadelphia have
also been invited to attend this event for stroke prevention.
"May is American Stroke Month and this is an ideal time to
raise awareness in the African-American communities about the risk factors
and warning signs of stroke and the need to seek treatment quickly," says
Dr. Matarese."Most strokes are preventable or treatable with immediate
intervention, and we must get the message out to all, especially those at
highest risk, to take action now."
Take 2 to Save 2 will help spread the American Stroke
Association's message through an informative speaker program,
entertainment, and Gospel music. Guests will receive educational
information about stroke risk factors, warning signs, and the effects of
stroke in the African-American communities.
The American Stroke Association, a division of the American
Heart Association, launched its Take 2 to Save 2 campaign in February to
encourage people to send life-changing health messages to those who may be
at risk for stroke. Through this campaign, people are urged to send at
least two health messages to two people who may be at risk for stroke.
People can select and view the type of message they would like to send
from the categories listed below and take 2 minutes to send via phone,
e-mail, text message, tweet, or other social media outlets:
LIVE – personal risk assessment
RECOGNIZE AND
RESPOND – the warning signs and treatment
KNOW MY FAMILY HISTORY –
create a family tree
HELP MY COMMUNITY – sign up to become a Power
to End Stroke ambassador
GET FIT – 30/60/90 day fitness plan
BE
PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE – know how stroke can affect your family
finances
BREATHE – smoking cessation
BE COMPLIANT – adhere to
proper medicine management
People can participate in Take 2 to Save 2 by visiting www.powertoendstroke.org/take2
or by texting Take2 to 64244. This far-reaching awareness
campaign seeks to empower African-Americans to take an active role in
preventing stroke in their communities. In addition, Take 2 to Save
2 encourages people to talk to their doctors to determine whether they are
at risk for stroke, and they are advised to follow the American Heart
Association's Life's Simple 7 to prevent a stroke. The seven steps are:
Get active, eat better, lose weight, stop smoking, control cholesterol,
manage blood pressure, and reduce blood sugar.
Stroke continues to have a devastating effect on the
African-American population.African-Americans have almost twice the risk
of first-ever stroke compared to the risk for Caucasians, and African
Americans from the ages of 35 to 54 have four times the relative risk for
stroke.The risk of stroke is higher for those with heart-related medical
problems, such as high blood pressure, heart or carotid artery disease,
and other health-related problems, such as obesity and uncontrolled
diabetes.Other risk factors include smoking, excessive alcohol use, drug
abuse, physical inactivity, family history, and age – those who are 55 and
older are at the greatest risk.
"Many people do not know that the devastating effects of
stroke can be mitigated or prevented through treatment. The one major
roadblock to this problem is time. Stroke victims have a three-hour window
to seek emergency care and access new stroke treatments in order to have
the best possible outcome and reduce the lasting effects of stroke," says
Matarese."Therefore, education is the key. I encourage people to send a
message to others they care about."
Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a clot-busting drug
that may significantly reduce long-term disability if a stroke victim is
an eligible candidate for the drug and if treatment begins within the
first three hours of the onset of stroke.
St. Mary Medical Center is home to the Primary Stroke
Center, one of the region's first stroke centers to have gained the Gold
Seal of Approval for stroke care from the Joint Commission. The St. Mary
Primary Stroke Center and its multidisciplinary team of healthcare
professionals offer patients an integrated emergency response team and an
Emergency Department-based Rapid Response Stroke Team to recognize and
treat stroke as quickly as possible.
Note to Editors and Reporters:
For
more information about the Take 2 to Save 2 campaign, log on to www.PowertoEndStroke.org/take2 or text Take2 to 64244.
Media are invited to attend and cover this event with interviews,
photographs and video. Please direct media inquiries to Kathleen Smith at
215.710.2090 and for more information about stroke visit www.StMaryHealthcare.org/stroke.
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