Taking Strides4Stroke into the community

BY GALE SMITH

Jan Flewelling’s passion for teaching is readily apparent when she speaks to community groups, health care professionals or students about stroke. Joan Censullo’s knack for numbers and statistics is evident when she discusses the devastating impact of stroke and the necessity of implementing a certified stroke program. Put the two women together, and you have a team so powerful, their efforts have become a key element of The Methodist Hospital System’s Taking Strides4Stroke: Community Awareness Campaign.

When it comes to stroke, The Methodist Hospital System is fighting this killer on multiple fronts. In addition to treating acute stroke patients, offering the latest in cutting-edge research and technology, and providing neuro-rehabilitation and physical therapy options, Methodist is now taking stroke education into the community.

“Stroke is highly preventable, but the key is catching the warning signs early enough,” said Flewelling, stroke outreach coordinator at the Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center at the Methodist Neurological Institute (NI). “People need to know the symptoms for stroke and the critical needto seek immediate medical attention.”

Flewelling’s “stroke education road show,” as she likes to call her presentation, takes her to many different venues — Houston-area churches, fire stations, community hospitals, elementary schools, large corporate offices, as well as other organizations.

“Most people having a stroke don’t know what’s happening to them, and onlookers and family members don’t know what is happening either. We’re working to change that on a patient level and on a broader population level as well,” Flewelling said.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the number one cause of long-term disability in the United States. Every 45 seconds someone in the

Jan Flewelling brings stroke awareness to members of the Christ Faith Church.

United States has a stroke. Every three minutes, someone dies.

In Texas, the mortality rate for stroke is more than double the national average. In the greater Houston area alone, the stroke mortality rate quadruples the national average. Through Methodist’s fiveyear education campaign, the hospital system is taking these daunting statistics and transforming them into a teaching tool for the greater Houston community.

With the help of Censullo, stroke project specialist with the NI, Flewelling and other Methodist Stroke Center staff are reaching out to communities and their local hospitals, helping them develop stroke program infrastructures and stroke certification content.

“Texas is one of 10 states in the nation’s ‘stroke belt,’ which is where the highest incidence of stroke occurs in the United States,” Censullo said. “As one of 14 certified primary stroke centers in Texas and a comprehensive stroke facility, Methodist is fortunate to be able to offer patients a complete range of stroke care innovations.”

The Methodist Stroke Center was named a national primary stroke center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in 2005. Methodist received this certification because of its exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care.

Methodist’s Stroke Center offers 24/7 coverage and is the largest dedicated stroke unit in Texas with 18 beds. Under the leadership of Dr. David Chiu, the center’s medical director, a dedicated group of health care professionals covers all areas of stroke treatment, research — including diagnosis, innovative treatment, prevention, rehabilitation and recovery — and education.

“Beyond the scope of direct patient care capabilities, we also can offer our colleagues at other hospitals the tools to effectively care for patients in their own communities,” Censullo said.

Flewelling and Censullo have spent more than 36 years combined working with stroke patients and teaching others about stroke. Now, through Methodist’s stroke awareness campaign, they are able to work closely with academic, community and corporate partners to inform the public about stroke and how to identify and seek treatment for it. One by one, they are helping patients, caregivers and the public learn that stroke is no longer a death sentence.

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Minutes matter when a person is having a stroke. Recognizing the signs of a stroke and acting quickly can mean the difference between life and death. “Leading Medicine,” a 30-minute television special producedby The Methodist Hospital, offers this lifesaving information.

To order your free DVD copy of this program that aired on KHOU-TV (Channel 11) this spring, call 713.790.3333. O

On March 24, the centerpiece of Methodist’s stroke education campaign unfolded in the form of the inaugural Stride4Stroke 5K Walk/Run at Rice University. Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane served as honorary chair for the event, which attracted nearly 2,000 people and raised more than $400,000. Patient Bryan Norsworthy, who shared his stroke survival story with event participants, attributes his recovery to his mother’s knowledge of stroke symptoms and the immediate and effective treatment he received at Methodist’s Stroke Center. Stride4Stroke is Houston’s only 5K dedicated to this debilitating disease. Funds raised are used by Methodist’s Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center in the Texas Medical Center, and for stroke-related activities at San Jacinto Methodist Hospital, Methodist Sugar Land Hospital and Methodist Willowbrook Hospital. Visit www.methodisthealth.com/s4s.