Delaware

As we continue to think about the wellbeing of women during National Women’s Health week, smoking rates among females comes to mind. It may surprise you to learn that smoking increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by 2 to 4 times. Also, women who smoke have a 25 percent higher risk of developing heart disease as compared to men who smoke.  And, continuing to smoke throughout your life shaves 13-14 years off of your life expectancy. So, despite beliefs to the contrary, smoking doesn’t just cause a risk for lung cancer.

And Along Comes Baby

As you would imagine, smoking during pregnancy causes a whole new set of health concerns for the unborn child. In fact, it has been shown to reduce the production of a chemical that relaxes blood vessels and can lead to lowered blood flow to the fetus, resulting in lower birth weight, shorter length and smaller head circumference. If an expectant mother stops smoking early in pregnancy, enzyme levels return to normal and the infant is born at normal birth weight. Here in Delaware we are ranked 28 out of 50 with 12.9% of pregnant women smoking.

To learn about resources for quitting smoking and to show your legislators that stroke and heart health issues are important to you, please visit our Take Action center to send your supportive message today and encourage others to send a message through Facebook.

Did you know that more than half of total stroke deaths occur in women? And, that at all ages, more women than men die of stroke?

If you are like most women, chances are you go to great lengths to take care of others and not burden friends and family with your health concerns.  By knowing the signs and symptoms of a stroke, you could save a life – maybe even yours. 

Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke
1. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
2. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
3. Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes
4. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
5. Sudden severe headache with no known cause

If you, or someone you love, experiences even one of these, quick action is needed.  Within five minutes, call 9-1-1.  With stroke, time is of the essence.  Time lost = brain lose. 

To learn more about current efforts and to show your legislators that these health issues are important to you, please visit our Take Action center to send your supportive message today and encourage others to send a message through Facebook

Yesterday was a day of flowers and cards, today can be about lifesaving information.  Share information on stroke with all of the women in your life!

Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke

1. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
2. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
3. Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes
4. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
5. Sudden severe headache with no known cause

To learn more about current efforts and to show your legislators that these health issues are important to you, please visit our Take Action center to send your supportive message today and encourage others to send a message through Facebook.

Anne Donaway Delaware

At 30 years old, my only concern in life should have been raising my two young children. The signs were there but ignored for a while. Even as a Respiratory Therapist I had to be persuaded to go to the doctor. After kindly being told it was "anxiety" and that it was the stressors of raising a family and working, I was finally diagnosed with a PFO that had grown so large that I was not getting enough oxygen to my brain. After an attempted patch closure that failed, open heart via robotics was performed.

From that point on I was determined to make a difference by raising awareness in my community. Three years post-op I have been going so strong that I went on monthly adventures. Showing all that anything is possible. This past February and March I suffered two CVAs. Slowly but surely I have bounced back again even more determined. I run almost daily and in a couple of months will be running races. As soon as I'm cleared by physicians I will plan my greatest adventure. To my amazement even my co-workers have never seen a Stroke victim as young as myself and many are hard to convince without questioning.

I have started to educate other stroke and open heart survivors via a blog, newspaper and a magazine article. I'm trying my best to become an example that with knowledge and will power, anything is achievable. I don't want others to be diagnosed with "anxiety" and am determined to show that stroke and heart disease can happen at any age. Lastly, my now 8 year old son has been diagnosed with an ASD that is being considered for surgery. I want choices for him and I want answers. I fight for him!

Sarah Noonan Delaware

Sarah Noonan, Deputy Director of Westside Family Healthcare, began selflessly and enthusiastically lending her expertise to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association in 2010, when she joined the DE Policy and Advocacy Committee. She has since become an indispensable part of our heart-health policy efforts in the First State.
 
Sarah has participated in Delaware Advocacy Day, helping to promote increased physical activity for elementary school children, and bike trail and pedestrian investments that enhance active transportation opportunities across Delaware. In addition, Sarah provides leadership to the Healthy Kids Delaware Steering Committee, a coalition that advances the interests of children in Delaware.

Sarah was recognized with the 2010 Betsey K. Cooke Advocacy MVP Award, given by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) for her work to advance the interests of federally qualified health centers and their patients during the negotiation of the nation’s landmark health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

In her free time, Sarah enjoys running to stay healthy and has organized and led Westside’s 5k since its inception. She and her new husband, Brian Davis, share a home in Wilmington with their two dogs MacGyver and Miles.

Sarah exemplifies what great advocacy for patients and community health across Delaware can achieve. Thank you for being a terrific health advocate, Sarah!

May 8th was a busy day at Legislative Hall in Dover. As a special part of 2013 Delaware Advocacy Day, advocates were joined by 24 students from Cape Henlopen High School JROTC to not only advocate for CPR training as a graduation requirement, but to demonstrate how easy it is to learn by having the students train lawmakers in this lifesaving skill.

Following the training, advocates and students met with several legislators to also discuss increased support for biking and walking trails and support for the Million Hearts Initiative.  They concluded the day with a meeting with Governor Markell to thank him for his support of improvements in biking and walking trails, leading to the recent jump of Delaware from 10th to 5th most bike-friendly state. 

Thanks to all the students and advocates who made the day a success!

As a You’re the Cure advocate who values living in a healthier community, you'll be glad to hear that Delaware's investment in biking and walking trails and pedestrian improvements over the last couple of years is paying off! 

According to a recent USA Today article, Delaware has jumped from 10th to 5th place in most bike-friendly states by the League of American Bicyclists. This investment not only makes Delaware more appealing to businesses and individuals, but improves the overall heart health of our state. Studies show that for every $1 invested in walking and biking trails, we see a $3 reduction in direct medical expenditures for cardiovascular disease in just the first year. That's important for the fiscal and physical health of Delaware. 

To learn more about our efforts in Delaware and to show your legislators that this health issues is important to you, please visit our Take Action center to send your supportive message today and encourage others to send a message through Facebook.

Did you know that stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, killing over 134,000 people nationwide?

Did you also know that stroke prevalence is projected to increase by 24.9% between 2010 and 2030 and the direct medical costs for treating stroke are expected to increase by 238%, from $28.3 billion in 2010 to $95.6 billion by 2030?

This is why we have so many noteworthy programs here at the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association to bring awareness and prevention to stroke. One such program is the Power To End Stroke initiative. This program is an education and awareness campaign that embraces and celebrates the culture, energy, creativity and lifestyles of Americans. It unites people to help make an impact on the high incidence of stroke within their communities.

Another program that was recently launched is the F.A.S.T. initiative. F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs and symptoms of a stroke. When you can spot the signs, you'll know quickly that you need to call 9-1-1 for help. This is important because the sooner a stroke victim gets to the hospital, the sooner they'll get treatment. And that can make a remarkable difference in their recovery. You can learn more about F.A.S.T. and get a F.AS.T. app for your phone by clicking here.

Next week some of your fellow You’re The Cure advocates will gather in Dover to advocate on behalf of the American Heart Association. Advocates will meet with legislators and their staffs to urge them to restore funding for the First State in pathways and trails initiative, support our efforts to have all Delaware students learn CPR in high school, and to educate lawmakers about the Million HeartsTM Delaware coalition and the broader national initiative they support. 

For those of you who are attending this year’s event, we know the thought of meeting with a legislator or their staff might give you some anxiety. The important thing to remember is that they are people like every one of us…they are just elected by the people to represent the interests within their legislative districts. Another important thing to remember is not to get upset if you’re not able to meet with the legislator directly.  Again, when legislators find out that a constituent from their district wants to meet with them in Dover, most will make every attempt to meet in person. However, there are many instances where Committee meetings get scheduled at the last minute, Leadership calls them up to Caucus, or they are in Session and they are not at liberty to leave. In those cases, you most likely will meet with their legislative staff. That’s okay! In fact, often times the staff is able to give you more of their time and can get deeper into conversation with you to learn about the root issues. They are in constant communication with their legislator about who was in the office to visit and what issues they brought to their attention. In some cases, staff help decide what bills will get scheduled for Committee meetings or are put on the House or Senate voting schedule. So, it’s important not to underestimate the power of legislative staff.

It is because of advocates like yourself that we are able to have these successful events every year. Even if you are not attending this year’s event, you can still support those that are attending and their efforts. Please take the time to visit our action center and send your legislator an email letting them know that these issues are important to you too.

Did you know that the proportion of premature deaths from diseases of the heart is greatest among American Indians and Alaska Natives (36 percent) and blacks (31.5 percent) and lowest among whites (14.7 percent)?

This is why many of our advocacy activities are aimed at increasing awareness, educating lawmakers, promoting research, and improving quality and access to care to reduce disparities among women, minority populations and to improve every person’s overall health. This is why here in Delaware we are working to ensure that our kids are more physically active during school. This will allow the next generation of Delawareans to develop the essential skills necessary to adopt, practice, and maintain healthy behaviors. To show your legislators that health issues are important to you, please visit our Take Action center to send your supportive message today and encourage others to send a message through Facebook.