EVERETT, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Every forty seconds someone in the United States experiences a stroke. Blood pressure screening is one of the only ways to detect if you are at risk for a stroke. In an effort to raise awareness, the Cardiac and Stroke Network is urging residents in Snohomish, Island, Skagit and San Juan Counties to get their blood pressure checked during Stroke Awareness Month in May.
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, strokes are the third highest cause of death in the United States. High blood pressure is the leading reason for, and most important contributor of, a stroke. A blood pressure screening is a simple way to find out if you have, or are at risk for, high blood pressure. Getting screened is easy and it’s free. Local fire stations will provide citizens with free blood pressure screenings, regardless of healthcare coverage, making it accessible for all.
Lisa Shumaker, RN, CMSRN, Providence Regional Medical Center, on behalf of the Cardiac and Stroke Network, says, “To prevent a stroke you need to control your risk factors. High blood pressure is a cause of a stroke. Knowing your blood pressure and taking your medication are ways to prevent a stroke. Work with your doctor to get your blood pressure under control.”
Strokes are preventable. For more information, go to http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Affiliate/The-Cardiac-and-Stroke-Network_UCM_316713_Article.jsp.
About the Cardiac and Stroke Network
The Cardiac and Stroke Network is a collaboration of hospitals, emergency room service providers and community stakeholders in four north Puget Sound counties (Island, San Juan, Skagit and Snohomish) who have developed streamlined processes to ensure that heart attack and stroke patients get the best coordinated care within the shortest amount of time, regardless of which hospital they arrive at first. The community education and outreach program focuses on calling 911 at the first signs of heart attack or stroke as every minute counts.