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May 2004
Stroke Fair
Stroke Fair: May 20th
On Thursday, May 20, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., Culicchia Neurological Clinic will join sponsors West Jefferson Medical Center, the American Heart Association and Advanced Medical Education to present a “Stroke Fair” at West Jefferson Medical Center. The event will include screenings for high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and body mass index, hand grip strength, cooking demonstrations by Chef Bonnie Liss, and a “Brown Bag Medicine Check” - bring your medicines for a review by a pharmacist. May is stroke prevention month and Culicchia Neurological Clinic is urging the public to become educated about stroke.
Warning Signs of Stroke
Stroke is literally a "brain attack" and occurs when the flow to the brain is interrupted by a blocked or broken blood vessel, killing brain cells in the immediate area.
Heed warning signs of stroke: sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, and loss of balance or coordination; sudden severe headache with no known cause. Call 911 immediately. Clot-busting medications used in stroke management must be administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms.
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Stroke Team
 The Stroke Team at West Jefferson Medical Center focuses on better treatment of stroke, the third largest killer in our country and a leading cause of severe, long-term disability. Dr. Walter Truax, neurologist with Culicchia Neurological Clinic, leads the Stroke Team at West Jefferson Medical Center. I decided that we needed a team effort to improve stroke care and enable us to keep pace with the changes in stroke care seen throughout the country," says Truax. "The team is made up of all those involved in the patient's care, from emergency ambulance staff, to physicians to rehab and community outreach professionals."
The Stroke Team has been instrumental in development of a new stroke unit which is under construction and will open in a few months at West Jefferson Medical Center.
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Celebrate a Life
 "The "Celebrate a Life" memorial and tribute giving program facilitated by the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)offers patients and their families ways to memorialize, honor, or pay tribute to, their loved ones.
"As an alternative to routine remembrances, (flowers) we can offer the family and friends information about making a gift in support of neurosurgical research through the NREF," said neurosurgeon Frank Culicchia, MD. "If we can talk to our patients - families about organ donation, why not also approach them about remembering their loved ones in another positive way."
The new program offers the general public information about giving to neurosurgical research in the name of a living, or deceased loved one. It also offers them the opportunity to thank their surgeon or other medical staff members for the care of their family member. It gives those very same medical professionals an opportunity to recognize and honor their colleagues, family members and friends, in the spirit of advancing neuroscientific research and education for residents and young clinicians.
In 1981, the AANS founded NREF, its research division, in response to the alarming rate of federal and private funding cuts for medical research. NREF is dedicated to groundbreaking neurosurgical research, working towards advances in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and improved patient care.
All donations to the "Celebrate a Life" program support NREF's one- and two-year fellowships and Young Clinician Investigator awards to the most promising young neurosurgeons in support of their research projects.
"At a time when resources available for innovative research continues to shrink, I am very thankful to the NREF for providing me with the opportunity to pursue my work," said Kevin Walter, MD, a 2003 Young Clinician Investigator.
Each year, NREF receives many promising grant applications however, due to limited resources, only a small percentage receives funding.
Brochures are available to the general public, by visiting our Web site or calling 847/378-0540. For more information about the Celebrate a Life program and NREF, visit www.AANS/org/research.
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Since 1981, NREF has awarded 91 Research Fellowship grants and Young Clinician Investigator awards, totaling nearly $4 million dollars. Past grant recipients have utilized the results obtained through their NREF-supported research to obtain additional funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further develop their theories and test their results. Some investigators have gone on to engage in clinical research, influencing the uses and future of drugs, medical devices and surgical procedures. All of this is made possible through the financial support of AANS members, corporations and the general public.
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