May
12, 2003
Upper
Michigan Neuroscience Center offering
free education during Stroke Awareness Month
Mock stroke drill to be held at Menards on Tuesday, May 20
|
In
the United States, someone dies of a stroke (“brain attack”)
every 3.3 minutes.
 |
Mary Koskela of Marquette, on stretcher, takes
part in a stroke reenactment drill at Menard's. Koskela, 48,
suffered a stroke in the store, but because she was able to get
treatment within hours of her stroke, she has recovered. Her
goal is to educate others about the warning signs of stroke and
advises loved ones to take action immediately when recognizing
stroke warning signs.
(MGH
photo) |
To help educate area businesses about the warning signs of stroke,
the Upper Michigan Neuroscience Center, based at Marquette General
Health System, is offering free education during Stroke Awareness
Month in May.
The Upper Michigan Neuroscience Center team is working in cooperation
with the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department at MGH to provide
valuable hands-on training.
According to
Donna Marlor, a registered nurse at Marquette General who serves
as the Stroke
Grant Project Coordinator for the Upper
Michigan Neuroscience Center, a number of area businesses — Shopko,
Econo Foods, Super One Foods, Menards, Marq Tran, the Upper Peninsula
Power Company and Wal-Mart are participating thus far — have
agreed to be Stroke Watch Team members. Their employees are receiving
hands-on stroke training from MGH personnel.
Donna Marlor, RN, and Stroke Grant Project Coordinator
for the Upper Michigan Neuroscience Center based at Marquette
General, speaks with Menards employees during a stroke awareness
in-service. Marlor and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at MGHS
are educating a number of Marquette-area businesses about the
warning signs of stroke and what action to take in the event
of a medical emergency.
(MGH
photo) |
 |
A mock stroke drill is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, at Menards.
There, employees will have the opportunity to learn first-hand what
to do in the event if someone suffers a stroke in their workplace.
The American Stroke Association says the best chance someone has
of surviving a stroke is if a bystander recognizes the symptoms and
calls 9-1-1.
Incidences of stroke often occur at area businesses, Marlor said.
That prompted the Upper Michigan Neuroscience Center to teach employees
the signs and symptoms of stroke, and encourage them to call 9-1-1
immediately.
“We felt that the best way to provide stroke education was
to bring it to worksites. We want to get the message out that stroke
is an emergency,” Marlor said. “A number of strokes can
and do happen at local businesses, and Marquette General welcomes
the opportunity to provide this life-saving education to employees.”
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. When
a stroke occurs, brain cells in the immediate area begin to die because
they stop receiving the oxygen and nutrients they need to function.
There are two major kinds of stroke. An ischemic stroke is caused
by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel or artery in
the brain. About 80 percent of all strokes are ischemic. The second,
known as a hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel in the
brain that breaks and bleeds into the brain.
Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, sudden confusion,
trouble speaking or understanding speech, sudden trouble walking,
or severe headache with no known cause are signs of stroke.
“Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Marquette County,” Marlor
said, “and a leading cause of serious long-term disability.”
The effects of a stroke range from mild to severe and can include
paralysis, problems with thinking, problems speaking and emotional
problems.
In some cases, ischemic strokes can be treated with a drug called
t-PA that dissolves blood clots obstructing blood flow to the brain.
“The window of opportunity to start treating stroke patients
is three hours, but to be evaluated and receive treatment, patients
need to get to the hospital within 60 minutes,” said Dr. Richard
Tomacari, an emergency department physician at Marquette General
who has played an instrumental role in stroke management efforts
at MGH.
“The best
advice I can give is that if you think someone is having a stroke,
call
911 immediately. Stroke victims have the best
chance if someone around them recognizes the symptoms and acts quickly.”
For more information on how to become an area Stroke Watch Team
member, call Marlor at 225-3405 or 1-800-562-9753, ext. 3405. For
more information on the Upper Michigan Neuroscience Program at Marquette
General, visit the MGH web site at www.mgh.org and click on the Neuroscience
Center icon in the Centers of Excellence section.
|
