Banner Boswell and Banner Del E. Webb offer free stroke checks in May
SUN CITY & SUN CITY WEST, Ariz. (April 8, 2009) – Banner Boswell and Banner Del E. Webb medical centers are offering free stroke screenings in May to help participants identify their risk of stroke.
The two medical centers are part of a Valleywide effort to educate the public about stroke during National Stroke Month. The events are designed to identify people at high risk of stroke who currently are not under the care of a physician for stroke or carotid artery disease. Education on stroke risks, signs and symptoms also will be provided.
Stroke checks will be offered on the following dates:
- Tuesday, May 5, from 8 a.m. to noon at Banner Boswell Medical Center, Support Services building, second floor, 13180 N. 103rd Drive, Sun City.
- Thursday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center Auditorium, 14502 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West.
The screenings are free, but space is limited. To register for either event, call Banner Health 230-CARE at (602) 230-2273.
The program includes a stroke risk assessment profile, blood pressure and pulse check, carotid artery assessment, and a personal physician consultation. Although some cholesterol blood testing will be provided during the screening, participants are encouraged to bring a copy of their own results if their test was done within last three months. For participants identified through screening as being at risk due to new carotid artery symptoms, a free carotid duplex scan may also be provided subsequent to the screening session.
According to the American Stroke Association, about 780,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke each year in the United States. Eighty to 85 percent of strokes are ischemic, meaning a blood vessel supplying oxygen to a part of the brain becomes blocked. A treatment called tPA is an option for some ischemic stroke patients that meet the criteria for its use. In some cases it can reverse or lessen a stroke’s damaging effects. This is why getting to the hospital within three hours of a stroke’s onset is vitally important.
While some stroke risk factors are beyond your control, there are things you can do to lower your risk. Visit www.BannerHealth.com keyword:stroke for more information about stroke.
About Banner Boswell Medical Center
Banner Boswell Medical Center is a 501-bed, acute-care hospital located in Sun City, Arizona. Founded in 1970, Banner Boswell offers heart services, cancer care, orthopedics, neurology, women’s diagnostics, emergency care, and medical and surgical services. Banner Boswell is part of nonprofit Banner Health, the leading provider of health services in the Valley with 22 hospitals throughout the West. For more information about Banner Boswell, visit www.BannerHealth.com, keyword: Boswell
About Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center
Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center is a 404-bed, acute-care nonprofit medical center in Sun City West offering heart care, emergency care, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, cancer care, obstetrics and gynecology, outpatient services, physical rehabilitation and behavioral services. Banner Del E. Webb is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system with 22 hospitals throughout the West. For more information about Banner Del E. Webb, visit www.BannerHealth.com, keyword: Del E Webb
