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Health & Fitness

Act FAST for Stroke

This May, National Stroke Awareness Month, Southampton Hospital will help East End residents learn the facts and arm themselves with life-saving information about stroke. Each one of us is at risk for stroke, but up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable.

Please join us at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton on Thursday, May 17, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. for a Stroke Awareness presentation by Dr. Olga MacAbee and Janet Woo, RN.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (following heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory disease) and it can lead to long-term disabilities in adults. The outcome of stroke can be less devastating if you recognize the signs and act quickly to seek medical attention.

Recognizing stroke symptoms can be easy if you remember to think FAST:

Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A
rms:
Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S
peech:
Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Does the speech sound slurred or strange?
T
ime:
If you observe any of these signs, it’s time to call 9-1-1. 

There are many risk factors for stroke. Some, such as age and family history, are uncontrollable. Others, such as tobacco and alcohol use, are controllable. High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke and should be checked yearly. Ask your doctor for tips on managing your current health conditions to reduce your risk for stroke and visit www.stroke.org/risk to learn more.

In 2014, thanks to a generous donation by Audrey and Martin Gruss, Southampton Hospital will open a new, state-of-the-art Heart & Stroke Center to serve the needs of the entire East End. A new endovascular surgeon, Dr. Eugene Palchik, has been hired and new technology will be installed soon. Please contact the Southampton Hospital Foundation at 631-726-8700, ext. 2 if you would like to learn more about this important initiative.

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