Annual Stroke Awareness and Health Fair 2005
Over 200 people were treated to a series of lectures on stroke by experts from the Stanford Stroke Center when they attended the Stanford Stroke Awareness and Health Fair on Saturday, March 5, 2005. Dr. Gregory Albers, Director of the Stanford Stroke Center, welcomed the crowd and spoke on the different types of stroke, warning signs of stroke, stroke prevention and the importance of early treatment. Various stroke therapies, including use of a recently FDA-approved clot removal device, were discussed by Dr. David Tong, who also explained the types of diagnostic tests used to evaluate stroke patients.
Stanford’s multidisciplinary approach to stroke treatment was evident in each doctor’s presentation. Dr. Christine Wijman educated the audience on the effects of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain and a novel treatment that holds the promise of improving neurologic function after the bleed. Dr. Gary Steinberg led the audience through different surgical procedures and used videos to show how imaging techniques have allowed for advances in brain surgery.
The audience had an opportunity to direct questions to the stroke specialists, and a variety of topics ranging from the best dose of aspirin for stroke prevention to dietary recommendations were addressed.
A host of companies and organizations continued the education at the Health Fair booths following the conference. Attendees could get a blood pressure screening offered by Stanford Hospital and Clinics and then take a personal stroke risk assessment test from the Stanford Stroke Center. The Stanford Health Library, Patient Care Services, Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, Nutrition Service and Stanford Blood Center offered information on healthcare, diabetes, and recovery from stroke.
The richness of community resources was evident at the Peninsula Stroke Association and the Stroke Awareness Foundation booths. Conference attendees could get nutritional guidance from Whole Foods and meet with representatives from Boehringer Ingelheim, Concentric Medical, Innercool Therapies, Boston Scientific, John Hancock, Novo Nordisk, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, and AstraZeneca.
