Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers from a stroke, according to the National Stroke Association. On May 10, the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), GW Hospital, and the GW Medical Faculty Associates (GW MFA) hosted an annual Stroke + Heart Health Awareness Day event to help community members identify risk factors for stroke.
GW physicians, nurses, and residents screened 318 people during the half-day event held in the GW Ross Hall Courtyard.
Clinical volunteers checked pulse and blood pressure, reviewed participants’ personal and family medical history, and shared information on how to recognize and respond to stroke. The community also had the opportunity to get screened for diabetes through a hemoglobin A1c test to check blood sugar levels.
There were tables set up where health care professionals educated community members about salt intake, heart failure, and other health issues. In addition, the Capital Area Food Bank was onsite to provide a cooking demo and hand out information on living a healthy lifestyle, and the GW Hospital trauma team was on hand to educate on bike safety and injury prevention.
Kathleen Burger, DO, director of Cerebrovascular Neurology at GW MFA and associate professor of neurology at SMHS; Nicole Ehrhardt, MD, an endocrinologist at GW MFA and assistant professor of medicine at SMHS; Vivek Jain, MD, director of the GW Sleep Disorders Center at GW MFA and associate professor of medicine; Linda Kusner, PhD, associate research professor of pharmacology and physiology; and Henry Kaminski, MD, Meta Amalia Neumann Professor in Neurology, chair of the Department of Neurology, and professor of neurology at SMHS, among other volunteers, were onsite at the event to provide screenings and talk with attendees.
