OLC & HealthSouth Partner
For Stroke Awareness, Prevention
NEW JERSEY – May is Stroke Awareness Month and 10 Ocean County Library branches will partner with HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Toms River to conduct stroke risk assessment screenings throughout the month.
HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Toms River is a 98 bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital that offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services. The hospital serves patients from throughout New Jersey. More information can be found at their website www.rehabnjtomsriver.com.
Solangie Pabon, a registered nurse and the Marketing Coordinator at Healthsouth, along with students from Ocean County College’s nursing program, will conduct the screenings.
The screenings include a questionnaire and blood pressure reading. Participants will be given a copy of the results that they can take to their physician.
The questionnaire asks about a person’s medical history and lifestyle habits. People are encouraged to bring a list of their medications, their medical history and any recent lab work with cholesterol and glucose levels to the screening for a more complete assessment.
The screenings are free and no appointment is required.
“I have dedicated my time to educating people about stroke,” said Pabon. “The screenings give people an awareness of stroke and ways they can prevent them.”
The program and screenings will be conducted at the following branches:
May 22 Thursday 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Lacey, 10 E. Lacey Rd., Forked River, 609-693-8566
May 27 Tuesday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Lakewood, 301 Lexington Av., 732-363-1435
May 28 Wednesday 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Barnegat, 112 Burr St., 609-698-3331
May 30 Friday 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Pt. Pleasant Borough, 832 Beaver Dam Rd., 732-295-1555.
According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death, killing over 133,000 people of all ages each year. It is also the leading cause of serious, long-term adult disability.
Nearly 800,000 strokes will occur in 2014, one every 40 seconds. Every four minutes a person dies from a stroke.
Women are more likely than men to have a stroke, and African Americans have almost twice the risk of a first-ever stroke compared with whites.
Two million brain cells die every minute during stroke, increasing the risk of permanent brain damage, disability or death. Recognizing symptoms and acting FAST to get medical attention can save a life and limit disabilities.
Know the symptoms and evaluate a person with the simple FAST test:
F=Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A=Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S=Speech. As the person to repeat a simple sentence. Does the speech sound slurred or strange?
T=Time. If you observe any of these signs (independently or together) call 9-1-1 immediately.
The National Stroke Association has more information about stroke risk factors and prevention guidelines on its website, www.stroke.org .