Stroke Smart advocacy groups consist of members of the community interested in saving lives and reducing disability by expanding stroke awareness in their circles. Business and faith leaders, stroke survivors and family members, teachers, librarians, health officials, social workers, senior services representatives, and EMS officials, for example have influential access to the community and are thereby in unique positions to disseminate stroke smart knowledge. Meeting monthly, these good Samaritans brainstorm ideas to spread the word, sharing lessons learned and pooling on the unique abilities of each member. They adopt bulletin boards, delivery magnets and wallet cards to businesses for display, host information sessions and rec centers, talk with their sports teams about recognizing the signs and symptoms of a stroke, and so much more. Their efforts keep the initiative at the forefront of the community so that when someone does have a stroke, people around the patient recognize the symptoms quickly and call 911.
Advocacy groups meet regularly and each member addresses the following four items as the backbone of the agenda:
1) What has happened to disseminate Stroke Smart knowledge since last time?
2) What do I plan to do to disseminate Stroke Smart knowledge until we meet again? Brainstorming with the group happens here. Should someone adopt a bulletin board, contact the rec center for permission to display a poster and train the staff, write an article for the local paper, speak to their dentist about displaying the magnets, offer a Stroke Smart class at the senior center, etc.
3) What have I learned that the group may find useful in their Stroke Smart efforts?
4) This is what I need from the group to assist in my efforts.
Faith-based organizations, i.e., churches, temples, mosques, etc. can save lives by becoming Stroke Smart when their members are educated about the signs and symptoms of a stroke and when they know to call 9-1-1 without hesitation when the do spot a stroke.
Norfolk’s Second Calvary Baptist Church became the FIRST Stroke Smart church in Virginia to adopt the Stroke Smart Virginia program. Their leadership distributed Stroke Smart memory aids to the congregation with the Stroke Smart training (pictures below) and created this video to showcase the event. While not every faith-based group will have the resources to put together such a fantastic video, a simple talk accompanied by the memory aid distribution is more than enough!
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Rhode Island became the first Stroke Smart Church in the country, launching its educational outreach efforts with a pronouncement of its intentions that included the simple Stroke Smart education.
The efforts to make a faith-based organization begins by contacting the organization’s leader (i.e., pastor, rabbi, imam, etc.). Ask for a 10-minute meeting to present the idea of making the group Stroke Smart, emphasizing the reality that 1 in 6 of us will suffer a stroke within our lifetimes, that the symptoms often go unrecognized which can lead to a lifetime of disability that is so easily avoided if treatment is received with 3 hours after symptoms begin. Action items for those wishing to make their faith-based organization Stroke Smart may be found here.
Advocacy groups meet regularly and each member addresses the following four items as the backbone of the agenda:
1) What has happened to disseminate Stroke Smart knowledge since last time?
2) What do I plan to do to disseminate Stroke Smart knowledge until we meet again? Brainstorming with the group happens here. Should someone adopt a bulletin board, contact the rec center for permission to display a poster and train the staff, write an article for the local paper, speak to their dentist about displaying the magnets, offer a Stroke Smart class at the senior center, etc.
3) What have I learned that the group may find useful in their Stroke Smart efforts?
4) This is what I need from the group to assist in my efforts.
Studies suggest that 33% of people having a stroke will call their doctor’s office for an appointment. This is likely because they do not understand the urgency to call 9-1-1. This delays the time to care which for a stroke, is time-sensitive. Stroke Smart Medical Practice tackles two challenges in stroke care:
For more information on becoming a Stroke Smart Medical Practice, visit the Virginia Department of Health’s Stroke Smart page.
