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The Citizen, 2004-06-24, Page 9.4*4** **/ s.4* ,ib *1.'03,, „ 1.4...** 04'. 1, aijv'oktrae HURON PERIll HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE Clinton Public Hospital St. Marys Memorial Hospital Seaforth Community Hospital Stratford General Hospital Huron Perth Hospitals Play Key Role in Battling Stroke Knowledge—it's the first line of defence against the 4th leading cause. of death in Canada and the leading cause of disability. In Ontario alone, 15,000 — 20,000 new patients annually will experience a stroke. That number is only expected to increase as the population ages, with an anticipated 32 per cent increase in acute stroke by 2006. Knowing, and acting upon the signs of a stroke is essential to survival says Doris Noble, District Stroke Centre Co-ordinator. The five warning signs are: sudden weakness, numbness or tingling; sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech; sudden vision problems; sudden severe headache; sudden dizziness or loss of balance. If you think you or someone you know may be having a stroke, call 911 or your local emergency number. Even if these symptoms appear to go away, seek medical attention immediately. "Too many people ignore stroke warning signs and delay seeking medical attention when time is of the essence," explains Ms. Noble. Nine Regional and 14 District Stroke Centres have been designated in Ontario to provide leadership in the development of a stroke strategy. The District Stroke Centre at Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance's Stratford General site has 24 hour CT scanning, physicians with stroke expertise, and access to clot busting drugs— enhancing care for stroke patients throughout Huron and Perth. "Organized stroke care reduces mortality and morbidity. and improves functional ability and quality of life for stroke patients", says Ms. Noble. The objective is to improve outcomes through quick, accurate diagnosis and best treatment. A District Stroke Centre must be able to provide 24,hour, 7-day-a- week access to a CT scanner arid expert stroke medical care. "When there is only a short window of opportunity, it's critical that the signs of stroke are recognized and that the patient makes it to a stroke centre as soon as possible," said Ms. Noble. Paramedics suspecting a Oient has stroke symptoms are able to bypass closer hospital sites and proceed immediately to the District Stroke Centre, giving patients access to the CT scanner and life-saving clot busting drugs when appropriate. A team approach is essential for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of stroke patients. ER physicians and nurses assess and triage patients. Radiologists and CT technologists are vital for diagnostic interpretation of the stroke. Internists—the stroke experts—ensure patients receive the appropriate treatments and medications. Nursing staff in ICU. medicine and Rehabilitation provide on-going monitoring. Physiotherapists, speech language pathologists and occupational therapists as well as dieticians ensure patients receive the appropriate type and intensity of rehabilitation. Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance' District Stroke Centre was created in March 2002. From April 2002 to March 2003, a total of 202 strdke patients were admitted to hospital in Huron and Perth, with 80 of those admitted to Stratford Hospital. Eleven patients received the clot-busting drug tPA. To further the fight against stroke in Huron and Perth, additional funding from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has been received to implement a Stroke Prevention Clinic. This clinic can help reduce the risk of stroke in individuals at high risk, such as those who have suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIM or mini-stroke and the risk of recurrent stroke in survivors. Patient education is an important part of the care provided by the clinic. For more information, contact Doris Noble, District Stroke Coordinator, at the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance — 519-272- 8210, ext. 2298. The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA), a group of four rural hospitals in Southwestern Ontario (Clinton Public, St. Marys Memorial, Seaforth Community and Stratford General) was created to maintain and improve the quality of local healthcare services in the communities it serves. The HPHA is an innovative patient and family focused healthcare system committed to Quality, Unity, Integration, Leadership and Teamwork. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2004. PAGE 9. U-15s play short Passing muster Six local volunteer firefighters recently competed in the 12th annual Waterloo Regional Firefighters Muster. Competing in five events as a team of six were Grant Jarvis. Jason Kellington and Scott Somers of Brussels, Phil Graber and Chad McCallum of Grey and Jeff Finch. a representative of both departments, who served as team captain. In a gruelling day of competition, against seven other teams, the men fared well placing third in the ladder race, hose race, tug of war and waterball and seventh in the bucket race. They had a lot of fun, helping to raise money for the Waterloo Regional Children's Safety Village in Cambridge and are planning to compete again next year. (Photo submitted) Grey Central Echo On Thursday, June 17. Grey Central hosted its annual awards assembly. Eaeh student was awarded with a certificate detailing a few memorable events or accomplishments during the school year. Recipients of the prestigious Grey Cup award were Angie Winger and Kalem Hammermueller. Citizenship awards were also given to a few students at each grade level. Awards were also distributed to students who have shown great initiative and perseverance this year. Some staff changes were announced at this assembly. The school community would like to say a heartfelt "Goodbye" to principal, Mrs. McDowell. who will be leaving us this year. The School Council presented Mrs. McDowell with a gift to thank her for her service to the school and its students over the last five years. . Departing teachers Mrs..McGavin and Mrs. Mitchell. who will be joining the staff and community at Brussels Public School, and Miss Aarssen. who is off to teach in Japan for a year, were presented with farewell gifts by Dianne Diehl. chair of the school council. In appreciation for her efforts in the office. the school council also presented Grey Central's secretary. Mrs. Cochrane with two lovely angel figurines. At the end of last week, the Grade 4 and Grade 6 class paid a visit to Medieval Times dinner theatre in Toronto, where they played, learned and feasted. A large group of parents and family members accompanied Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Burnfield and Miss Aarssen on -the trip. Their contribution enabled everyone to have a safe and enjoyable day. Supervising -were: Marie Blake, This past week Alvin and I along with daughter Sarah, and Peggy Keffer. Alvin's sister, travelled to Toronto to attend the convocation ceremony at Humber College. Our daughter Melissa graduated from the public relations, program. We also watched as her boyfriend Andrew Smith graduated from the journalism program. Congratulations to both of you. All the hard work has paid off. Way to go. Andrew left on Saturday for a job in Alberta. This week there will be lots of Grade 8 graduates ready to take on high school in the fall. Congratulations to all of you. Hopefully you all remember to come out and support the Grey firefighters on Sunday morning for breakfast. Have a safe and happy week. Marita Lefor, Corrie Sholdice, Sara Weichel, Laura Sheppard, Karen Smith. Norm Kuepfer, Kathy Sholdice, Sarah Weichel, Laura Sheppard. Karen Smith, Norm Kuepfer. Kathy Nichol. Karen Smith. Lori Bentley, Pam McLean. Sharon Rapson, Scott Davidson, Francine Bechard, Shirley Foote, Jane Zwep, Jennifer Vellenga, Kendra Cardiff, Richard Daughtery, Wendy Bachert. Bethany Edgar and Gary Van Hell. . The bus driver was Murray Hoover. Mrs. Murray's Grade 5 class is learning about ratios in math and they went to the musical ride with the rest of the school and then they wrote about it in their journals. They had a test on politics and the government. In spelling they were going back and doing review lessons and they are practising hard for their spelling bee. ' Continued from page 8 his second yellow card of the game and his team was forced to play most of the second half with only 10 players on the field. In the end, Wingham scored one, more marker making the final score 4-1. Despite the losing result, Brussels coach Mark Beaven was pleased with the outing. "Considering we were missing three of our regular forwards tonight including our top scorer and we played the second half short, I think we battled well", commented Beaven. "I was hoping to see how the team would react in a pressure situation, and for the most part I was pleased with what I saw." "I was extremely happy with the play of Lacey and Kristen McArter", Beaven continued. "Lacey played very well in the full back position and Kristen stepped up and played excellent in her first real shot at midfield." The Brussels squad hopes to defend their undefeated league play this coming Thursday, as they host Elma at the Brussels soccer fields at 7 p.m. Students receive awards L• ibeiti www liberal ca PAUL STECKLE In Appreciation ,4 "The strength of any political campaign is directly related to the calibre of the volunteers and supporters that it is able to attract. With that in mind, / can confidently say that this has been my strongest campaign ever.- Paul Steckle - June 2004 I am grateful to have such a large and committed team of campaign volunteers and supporters working on my behalf. Their energy, enthusiasm and support has been tremendous. In recognition of that work and dedication, I would like to invite all my volunteers and supporters to an appreciation celebration at the Sacred Heart Church, in Wingham on Election Night. We can watch both the national and local results as they are tabulated so. join us any time after 6:00 PM for some music, refreshments and camaraderie. For Information, Call or Visit my Campaign Office: 46 Victoria Street North, Goderich, Ontario N7A 2R6 Phone: (519) 524-4848 Toll Free: 1-800-489-8959 Fax: (519) 524-5528 E-mail: stecklecampaign@bellnet.ca Authorized Ely The Official Agent For Paul Steckle