LewisGale Medical Center and City of Salem leadership kicked off their Stroke Smart Salem partnership with a community activation day on Tuesday, canvassing neighborhood businesses on Main Street in Salem. Hospital leaders and community officials, including Salem Mayor Renee Turk and members of city council went door to door, talking to business owners and handing out flyers about sudden signs of a stroke, asking them to support the initiative by displaying stroke education materials in their storefronts.
It’s a cause that is personal for Mayor Turk.
“It means a lot for me to do this. They approached City Council recently and asked if it is something we would be interested in doing. It’s near and dear to my heart. My mom passed away with a stroke, which we identified immediately and got her to the hospital. So it’s very important for people to be aware of the signs to look for,” Turk said.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, 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.
The city and hospital launched the education campaign with a proclamation declaring Salem a ‘Stroke Smart City’ earlier this year. In partnership with the Virginia Department of Health, Salem is the first ‘Stroke Smart City’ west of Richmond. Stroke Smart Virginia is a public health initiative to reduce pre-hospital delays and increase timely stroke treatment through simple education and actions. The Virginia Stroke Systems Task Force (VSSTF) adopted Stroke Smart Virginia as a statewide initiative in 2021.
Raising awareness and helping others in her city learn how to deal with a stroke is a process Mayor Turk said has been healing in coping with her own loss.
“You never really get over the loss of the parent. But, you just learn as you move along the things that you need to do to help people be more aware so it doesn’t become a huge issue in their own family,” Turk said.
Use the acronym B.E.F.A.S.T. for recognizing a stroke:
B - Balance: Watch for sudden loss of balance
E - Eyes: Check for vision loss
F - Face: Look for an uneven smile
A - Arm: Check if one arm is weak
S - Speech: Listen for slurred speech
T - Time: Call 9-1-1 right away