July 23, 2010
Regional Hospitals Spread Awareness of Heart Attack and Stroke Symptoms
Timing is everything when it comes to a heart attack or stroke. Every minute without intervention and treatment means damaged heart muscle or loss of brain function.
A new effort by New London Family Medical Center and ThedaCare’s Fox Cities hospitals aims to educate area residents to quickly recognize the symptoms of these traumatic events and immediately get help. The campaign reminds people that symptoms can be subtle and not to ignore the warning signs. A quick response can mean saving “the time of your life.”
For example, the American College of Cardiologists set a standard of 90 minutes for door-to-balloon time – the time it takes to get heart attack patients from their arrival in the emergency department to surgery in the cath lab. Likewise, the clot-busting drug tPA – shown to increase chances of minimal-to-no disability by 30-50 percent – must be given within 3-4 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.
“We’re doing everything we can internally to streamline procedures and reduce response times to improve outcomes for heart attack and stroke patients,” explains Jill Case-Wirth, vice president of Appleton Medical Center (AMC) and Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah. “Help us help you by calling 911 as soon as you recognize the symptoms.”
NLFMC emergency services manager Sharon St. Louis added, “Early recognition and definitive treatment are key, as brain and heart muscle tissues do not regenerate. Once they are lost they are gone forever.”
NLFMC, AMC and Theda Clark are launching this campaign to make the maximum impact in the communities they serve. “The Time of Your Life” campaign includes:
- Six weeks of print advertising,
- Five weeks of radio advertising,
- Participation and education at community events throughout the year, and
- Media recognition honoring the everyday heroes right in our neighborhoods.
Each message will focus on recognizing the symptoms of heart attack or stroke and the importance of calling 911 to get help fast.
“Thanks to our emergency department and its collaborative efforts with ThedaCare hospitals in the Fox Cities, many patients in our community have directly benefited by our ability to provide definitive treatment in times that are well under the national standard,” St. Louis said. “This campaign empowers patients to improve their outcomes even more.”
ThedaCare, of which NLFMC is a part, will also be partnering with local healthcare providers in Shawano and Waupaca as well as Community Health Network hospitals in Wild Rose and Berlin to share this same message in those rural communities.
New London Family Medical Center is a 25-bed, critical access hospital that has been in operation since 1930. The hospital provides inpatient and outpatient surgery; a 24-hour emergency department; physical, occupational and speech therapies; diagnostic services; pain management; and transitional care. ThedaCare Physicians-New London shares the campus of New London Family Medical Center.
ThedaCare™ (www.thedacare.org) is a community-owned health system consisting of Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, New London Family Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca, ThedaCare Physicians, Ingenuity First, and other health care services. ThedaCare is the largest employer in Northeast Wisconsin with nearly 5,400 employees.
For more information, media may contact Megan Wilcox (megan.wilcox@thedacare.org), corporate and public relations specialist for ThedaCare, at (920) 830-5847, or pager (920) 554-0730.