McLaren Northern Michigan, part of the statewide McLaren Stroke Network and a Primary Stroke Center certified by The Joint Commission, has organized a pair of free screening events to evaluate attendees’ stroke risk factors.
McLaren Northern Michigan physicians experienced in stroke care are volunteering their time to perform painless and noninvasive assessments of individuals’ unique factors that may increase their stroke risk and offering instruction to lower that risk.
-
Wed., Aug. 7 from 12 noon to 4 p.m. as part of the Cheboygan County Fair (204 East. Lincoln Ave.)
-
Tues., Aug. 20 from 1 to 4 p.m. as part of the Emmet-Charlevoix County Fair (1129 Charlevoix Ave.)
Factors increasing the risk for stroke include uncontrolled high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes — one in three Americans live with one of these risk factors.
Screening assessments include a lipid panel, A1C blood sugar test, BMI calculation, 3-lead EKG rhythm, blood pressure reading, and activity assessment among others.
“Strokes are a very serious, potentially life-threatening condition that strike hundreds of thousands of people every year,” said Dr. John Kennedy, McLaren Northern Michigan Chief Medical Officer. “It is also a condition that can be prevented. Millions of people live at an increased risk for suffering a stroke, but by identifying those lifestyle choices that elevate that risk and addressing them now, people can significantly lower that risk while enhancing their health. This is what we hope to accomplish at this event.”
The free screening events follows the program’s recent distinction from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, in which the hospital was recognized for its ability to provide timely care to stroke patients.
McLaren Northern Michigan earned the AHA/ASA Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus, the organization’s highest achievable level for programs providing patients with the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatment to improve their care and clinical outcomes.
Additionally, the program earned specific, stroke-related recognitions:
-
Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
-
Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
“Beginning with the development of the McLaren Stroke Network in 2015, we have worked hard to establish a fantastic team throughout the state who share a dedication to be the frontline of stroke care and provide patients with advanced stroke care right when they need it,” said Dr. Aniel Majjhoo, interventional neurologist and medical director of the McLaren Stroke Network. “These recognitions validate their effort in the service they provide, truly making them assets to their communities.”
The fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability, nearly 800,000 strokes occur in the United States every year, with 60 percent of them occurring in people under age 70.
Learn more about the capabilities of McLaren Northern Michigan and the McLaren Stroke Network, visit mclaren.org/stroke.
About McLaren Northern Michigan
McLaren Northern Michigan is a 202-bed regional referral center located in Petoskey, serving residents in 22 counties across northern Lower Michigan and the eastern part of the Upper Peninsula. More than 230 physicians represent nearly all medical and surgical specialties, enabling full-service care with an emphasis on cardiology, cancer, orthopedics and neurosciences. McLaren Northern Michigan is a certified Primary Stroke Center, as designated by the Joint Commission. The hospital has a network of primary care providers and specialty care clinics throughout the region, and an outpatient surgery center in Cheboygan. Learn more at mclaren.org/northernmichigan.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.