Hospital highlights

May is Stroke Awareness month. Chances are you know someone who has had a stroke, the fourth leading cause of death and a leading cause of long term disability. Women are twice as likely to die from a stroke than breast cancer. Risk factors include being over 55, male, African American, diabetes, heart disease including atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure, as well as a family history of stroke.

Talk to your healthcare provider about ways to reduce your chance of having a stroke. Some things to consider include controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation or diabetes. A healthy diet, regular exercise, controlled use of alcohol and no smoking are other factors.

Stroke is an emergency. Act FAST and call 9-1-1.

Use FAST to remember the warning signs. Face – ask the person to smile to see if one side of the face droops; Arms – ask the person to raise both arms – does one arm drift down? Speech – does the speech sound slurred or strange? Time – if you observe even one of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately. Whitman Hospital and Medical Center can expedite your care through the use of a specialized CT to determine the location of the stroke, as well as having immediate access to stroke specialists to support our ED providers.

Debbie Glass, CEO

Whitman Hospital and Medical Center