Loretta Lynn & American Stroke Month
Loretta Lynn, the most awarded female country music artist, has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke on Thursday, May 4th. The 85 year old artist is said to be doing well and is expected to make a full recovery (see news release, to the right). For those of you who are not of a “certain age” or who are not familiar with country music, a link is provided to the right of one of her most famous songs, which she wrote as well as performs, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”May is American Stroke Month. Strokes are a serious medical condition, taking the lives of 133,000 people annually in the US. Also sometimes called a “brain-attack,” strokes are also a leading cause of long-term disabilities resulting from brain injury. But, it is estimated that 80% of strokes could be prevented. A leading cause of strokes is high blood pressure, something that can be controlled. The sad news is that it is estimated that one in six adults that have high blood pressure are not aware of their condition.
With that in mind, the first part of our safety tip this week is twofold:
1. If you have not had your blood pressure checked by a medical professional, please do so today. Don’t wait, you might not have time.
2. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, please follow the advise of your physician for a healthy diet, low in sodium, and take all prescribed medication.
While the details of the medical event have not been made public, one thing that we can easily speculate on is that Ms. Lynn’s stroke was discovered early and she received swift medical treatment. We can surmise this because of the announcement that she is doing well. When it comes to strokes, the more quickly the symptoms of a stroke are recognized, and the sooner a patient receives professional medical treatment, the better the outcome.
The second part of our safety tip is this: Learning how to recognize and act FAST! In this case, FAST is actually an acronym for the signs, symptoms and actions to take if you suspect someone has suffered a stroke.
F – Facial droop.
Remember that often a stroke affects only one side of the brain. So you might see only half the face drooping, or the patient may only be able to smile with one side of the mouth.
A – Arm weakness.
If you suspect a stroke has occurred, ask the patient to hold out both arms. If they are unable to raise one or both arms, they may have suffered a stroke.
S – Speech.
The patient may be unable to speak clearly; their speech may be slurred.
T – Time.
When someone exhibits these symptoms, the time to act is NOW. Call 9-1-1 immediately! Medical treatment for strokes is very effective when patients are able to receive it quickly. Like with Ms. Lynn, stroke patients can make a full recovery.
Please join us at SCM in sending our thoughts and prayers to Ms. Lynn for a speedy recovery, and to all stroke patients as well.
SCM Highlights
SAFETY DIFFERENTLY SEMINAR with Sidney Dekker and Todd Conklin Seminar in San Ramon on June 9! Learn more and enroll now for this 8 hour seminar here!
Ron Gantt will be presenting “Safety Differently – A New View of Safety” at the ASSE’s Safety2017. Ron’s talk is at 4:30 PM on June 20th. To register and learn more, click here.
Cal/OSHA Outreach 30 Hour Trainers!
SCM has two trainers that are available to provide this training to your workers, in English and/or Spanish. See the link here Just call 925-362-2265 to learn more, or email us at info@scm-safety.com.
Upcoming Training At SCM
HAZWOPER TRAINING
June 2 8 hr Refresher
$159 Register here
June 19 – 21 24 hr
$449 Register here
June 19 – 23 40 hr
$559 Register here
June 22 – 23 16 hr
$250 Register here
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
May 12 CPR/AED/1stAid
$95 Register here
June 9 DOT/Title 22
$179 Register here
* Send 3 or more, get a discount!
HAZMATSCHOOL.COM
SCM’s online training center has a new look! Check it out here: Hazmatschool.com.
We now offer OSHA Recordkeeping training online!
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