May is National Stroke Month, a time to raise awareness on stroke and what can be done to prevent it.
Stroke is our nations number four killer and the leading cause of long term disability. On average someone in the Unites States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Additionally, certain segments of the population in the U.S. have a disproportionately high risk for stroke, in fact, African Americans and Hispanics have almost twice the risk of experiencing a stroke.
Despite these sobering statistics, the good news is that stroke can be prevented by creating awareness and reducing some of the known changeable risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure and lack of physical activity,
The American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association advocates in support of the following policy priorities in order to prevent stroke and improve the quality of care received by those who experience stroke:
• Protect investments in prevention
• Support the development and implementation of stroke systems of care
• Increase the National Institutes of Health investment in stroke research
Please join us this month, and every month, in raising awareness around stroke and how we can work to prevent it.
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