Arcadia FD Honored for Backing Stroke Program

The thought of having a stroke is scary. I can’t imagine what it would be like not playing golf, not working out, not doing a lot of things I do now.

The guys I play golf with at –we call ourselves the "Over The Hill Golf Group"–had our annual party Thursday night at the home of Dick and Janet Van Kirk. Dick is a member of the board of directors for Arcadia’s of Southern California.

I think I’m the youngest member of this group, and I just turned 65 last month. So we’re all in the target age for having a stroke. Two-thirds of stroke victims are 65 and older, but people far younger than 65 can have a stroke.

I bring this up because of an event that took place at an Arcadia City Council meeting recently. celebrated its one-year anniversary of a new stroke program by honoring the and its paramedics for the support they have shown the program.

At the meeting were Fire Chief Tony L. Trabbie, Deputy Fire Chief Kurt Norwood and Battalion Chief Michael E. Lang. They were presented with a plaque by Dr. Kenneth Wogensen, a neurologist who is the chairman of the Methodist Hospital stroke program.

"The people who work for the Arcadia Fire Department have been responsible for saving lives," Dr. Wogensen said. "Their prompt response with stroke patients has enabled us to limit and sometimes completely reverse the stroke. There are people leading normal lives today because of the Arcadia Fire Department and the Methodist Hospital stroke program."

Also taking part in the plaque presentation were civic leaders Jim Helms and Sho Tay and Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic. Helms, a former mayor, was instrumental in establishing Arcadias’ highly rated paramedic program. Tay, Arcadia’s Citizen of the Year, had a stroke this past winter and has recovered following treatment at Methodist Hospital. Helms and Tay are members of the stroke council dedicated to raising money for the stroke program, as is Dr. Wogensen.

Participant in UCLA Study

The hospital is a participant in UCLA’s FAST-MAG study. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of field-initiated magnesium sulfate for stroke victims.

Stroke is this country's third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability. Each year, 750,000 Americans suffer a symptomatic stroke.

Twenty years ago, most emergency room doctors considered stroke victims only as candidates for rehabilitation, not treatment. And that was if they survived.

An ischemic stroke, the most common, is where blocked blood starves brain cells of oxygen, and it was regarded as untreatable. Hemorrhagic stroke, or bleeding that causes damaging or deadly pressure on the brain, was treated only with invasive surgery.

Now the UCLA study is showing that strokes can be treated, and the sooner they are treated the better. The Methodist Hospital stroke program coordinates the training of paramedics from Arcadia and surrounding communities so that they know how to deal with stroke victims in the field.

When a stroke hits, you usually have difficulty saying a simple sentence, are unable to raise an arm and can't smile.

The key thing is to get treatment as quickly as possible. The phrase that is now often used is “Time is brain.” Call 911 immediately and paramedics will transport you to an approved stroke receiving center like the one at Methodist Hospital, where a trained and highly qualified interdisciplinary team will initiate care.

But even before you get to the hospital, having trained paramedics come to your aid can not only save your life, they can also have you back playing golf, working out and doing the things you enjoy doing.