St. Anthony’s Hospital Invites Community to Stroke Health Fair

With stroke being the third leading cause of death behind heart and cancer diseases for Americans, St. Anthony’s Hospital will host a community stroke health fair to educate on the seriousness of the disease. 

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts and part of the brain cannot get the blood it needs. According to the American Stroke Association, about 795,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke and on average, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds. 

St. Anthony’s Hospital will host a free community stroke health fair on Friday, November 4, 2011, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., at St. Anthony’s Hospital Auditorium, 1200 Seventh Ave. N., St. Petersburg.

Free health screenings include blood glucose and blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and cholesterol. St. Anthony’s Hospital physicians and experts will provide a series of stroke-related seminars. Activities include cooking demonstrations, Sign Chi-Do wellness demonstration, chair massages and healthy snacks samples. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. 

Physician Seminars: 

• Allan Weiss, MD, neurologist, will speak on The Medical Management of Stroke 
• Monica Emory, RD, registered dietitian, speaks on The Role of Nutrition in Prevention and Treatment of Stroke
  
• Eugene Murphy, MD, vascular surgeon, speaks on The Surgical Management of Stroke

 To register for this free community event or for more information, call (727) 953-6993 or visit www.stanthonys.com/StrokeHealthFair.  

About St. Anthony’s HospitalSt. Anthony’s Hospital is a 395-bed hospital founded in 1931 as a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and is the first and only faith-based hospital in Pinellas County. As St. Anthony’s celebrates its 80th year in 2011, the hospital continues its rich history dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing high-quality, innovative and compassionate care. 

St. Anthony’s has received the 2010 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement award.  St. Anthony’s Susan Sheppard McGillicuddy Breast Center received accreditation from both the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and the American College of Radiology.