Prompt Medical Treatment Can Improve Stroke Recovery
"Every minute counts," says Charlene Griffith, RN, member of the Providence St. Peter Hospital stroke team. "Recognizing the symptoms and receiving immediate medical treatment could save your life and prevent major disability if you suffer a stroke."

A stroke, or brain attack, occurs when a blocked or broken blood vessel interrupts blood flow to the brain. As brain cells in the immediate area die, they release chemicals that trigger a chain reaction in the surrounding area of brain tissue. Often this results in long-term disabilities, such as weakness or paralysis on the affected side of the body, difficulty with speech, vision problems, memory loss and behavioral abnormalities.

Providence St. Peter Hospital’s stroke team offers some of the most advanced stroke treatments available. A drug called t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) can dissolve blood clots and restore blood flow to the brain. To be effective, the treatment must be given within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.

"If patients miss the three-hour window but arrive at the hospital within five or six hours of a stroke, we can offer an experimental neuroprotectant," says Griffith. The neuroprotectant is given intravenously for 24 hours and can reduce the size of a stroke.

Providence St. Peter Hospital’s team of certified stroke nurses, emergency department physicians and neurologists treats about 300 stroke patients each year. The hospital also provides 24-hour stroke consulting to medical facilities in the five surrounding counties.

In 2002, St. Peter Hospital received a five-star rating from HealthGrades for treatment of heart attacks and strokes. For details, visit www.providence.org/swsa or www.healthgrades.com. It also was named one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation for stroke care in 2000.

Stroke Warning Signs
Dial 911 if you experience:

Sudden numbness or weakness of your face, arm or leg, especially on one side of your body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden trouble seeing inone or both eyes
Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Stroke Risk Factors

High blood pressure
Diabetes
High cholesterol
Irregular heartbeat
Smoking
Excess weight
Lack of exercise

Diagnostic Imaging Positions Available
The diagnostic imaging department at St. Peter Hospital is growing. We are planning a new remodel, which will double the size of our current space. We are currently hiring registered radiologic technologists, ultrasound sonographers, MRI technologists, echocardiographers and CT technologists. To learn more, call 360/493-7882 and apply online.

Healthy Heart Guide
The 2003 Providence St. Peter Hospital "Guide for Healthier Living" contains diet and fitness tips, cholesterol information and healthy heart recipes. For a free copy, call 360/493-4111.

Grief Teleconference
Providence SoundHomeCare and Hospice will host the Hospice Foundation of America's annual bereavement seminar, "Living With Grief: Coping with Public Tragedy." Moderated by ABC News Correspondent Cokie Roberts, the broadcast will offer advice on assisting those coping with loss. Designed for health care and other professionals.
April 30, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
TCTV, 440 Yauger Way, Olympia
Call 360/493-4111 for reservations.

Job Shadowing
Providence St. Peter Hospital and the New Market Vocational Skills Center have formed a partnership to help high school students learn about health occupations. The program provides students with job shadowing experiences in areas ranging from diagnostic imaging and surgery to nursing and housekeeping. The program also prepares students for becoming certified nursing assistants. For more information, contact New Market Vocational Skills Center at 360/570-4500 or visit www.nmvsc.org.

Capital Campaign Supports New Emergency Center
Providence St. Peter Foundation is seeking pledges for a new emergency department, scheduled to open this June. Special thanks to all the individuals and groups who have already contributed. The emergency department physician group has pledged $150,000 toward the expansion and Surgical Associates has contributed $100,000.

We are almost halfway to reaching our fund-raising goal of $4.3 million. A public opening and dedication celebration will be held Saturday, June 7. To make a donation or for more information, call 360/493-7981.

Christmas Forest Wrap-up
Providence St. Peter Foundation’s 2002 Christmas Forest netted more than $265,000 to benefit the Providence mission of providing care to those in need. Hundreds of volunteers, event sponsors, designers and community members helped make this event a success. This year’s Forest will open Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27. Mark your calendar! For volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, call 360/493-7981.

Family Practice Residency Receives Diabetes Grant
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has selected Providence St. Peter’s Family Practice Residency Program as one of six national recipients of a grant through the Foundation’s Advancing Diabetes Self-Management program.

The program will demonstrate that diabetes self-management can be delivered in primary care settings and significantly improve patient outcomes. Over the next 15 months, the residency program will receive approximately $300,000 in funding to develop and implement new approaches to treat diabetic patients.

St. Peter Family Practice Residency has been a leader in developing new models of care for diabetic patients. In the past two years, the residency program has created innovative methods to help diabetic patients set and achieve goals to improve nutrition, physical activity and prevention of medical complications.

More than 310 health care organizations across the country applied for this grant. "It is a great honor to be selected to conduct this pioneering work," said Devin Sawyer, M.D., Family Practice faculty member. "This grant allows us the opportunity to develop clinical best practices that will serve as a model for primary care practices across the nation."

For information about diabetes care at Providence St. Peter Family Practice Residency, call 360/493-7230.

Celebrating Health, Hope and Healing
May 29, 11:30 a.m.
Worthington Conference Center
Saint Martin's College
5300 Pacific Ave. S.E.
Lacey

Join us for Providence St. Peter Foundation's 2003 Wellness Luncheon. Celebrity Ann Jillian will share her inspirational story of breast cancer survival. Proceeds from the luncheon will support the Providence St. Peter Hospital Regional Cancer Program.
$75. Call 360/493-7981 for reservations or more information.