Lahey Recognizes Stroke Awareness Month

According to the American Heart Association, each year approximately 700,000 Americans experience a stroke or “brain attack.” Of those, more than 150,000 will die, making stroke the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer.

As a Massachusetts Department of Health-certified stroke center, Lahey Clinic Medical Center has a multidisciplinary Stroke Team dedicated to the treatment of stroke patients. Based in the Department of Neurology, this team provides stroke education and works closely with the Emergency Department to provide acute treatment for stroke patients. The team's outstanding work has been consistently recognized by the American Stroke Association (ASA), which honored Lahey with a 2008 Gold Sustained Performance Award for successful adherence to Get With The Guidelines, its award-winning in-hospital quality improvement program.

In recognition of Stroke Awareness Month, the Stroke Team has planned a number of activities throughout the month of May to help educate members of the community about stroke:

• A table with educational materials staffed by Stroke Team members and representatives from the ASA on May 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 from 10 am to 2 pm in the Main Lobby.
• “Live” stroke education show on Burlington Cable Access Television's Open for Discussion featuring Stroke Team member Eileen Allosso, MS, APRN, BC, on Wednesday, May 28, from 8 to 9 pm. (Within Burlington, the show will air on Comcast Ch. 9, RCN Ch. 3, Verizon Ch. 39).
• Staff to provide information regarding the ASA's Train to End Stroke program on Wednesday, May 21, from 10 am to 2 pm in the Main Lobby. Train to End Stroke is an endurance training and fund-raising program to aid the ASA in the fight against stroke through which participants train to run or walk a full or half marathon.
• Staff to provide information regarding the ASA's Power to End Stroke program on Thursday, May 15, from 10 am to 2 pm in the Main Lobby. African Americans have a much higher risk of death from a stroke than Caucasians, due in part to higher risks of high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Power to End Stroke is an awareness campaign that unites African Americans to help decrease the high incidence of stroke within the community.
• Stroke Survivor and Caregiver Support Group meeting facilitated by Lisa Catalano, MSW, LICSW, and Eileen Allosso, MS, APRN, BC, on Tuesday, May 27, from 6 to 7 pm in the Lobby Conference Room. For more information, call 781-744-1912.