Press Releases
June 13, 2011
Reducing Your Chances of Stroke is Topic of Upcoming ‘Dinner with a Doctor’
St. Barnabas Doctors to Discuss Prevention, Treatment, Recovery
Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke. One of every 18 deaths can be attributed to stroke, while many more lose their mobility, memory, speech or sight.
On Tuesday, June 7 (beginning at 6 p.m.), St. Barnabas Hospital’s popular “Dinner with a Doctor” series will return on the topic of “Reducing Your Chances of a Stroke: A Look at Prevention, Treatment and Recovery.”
Dr. Scott Segan, director of St. Barnabas Hospital’s Stroke Center, will discuss the key risk factors of stroke, lifestyle changes that can be made to reduce the chances of stroke, the signs of a stroke which must be treated quickly (“since time loss is brain loss”) and the latest recovery modalities. A Spanish language version will be presented on June 9, with Dr. Alfredo Rabines presenting.
About Stroke
Stroke affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When this happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, and starts to die. This can result in paralysis, vision loss, memory loss, speech and language problems, and behavioral changes.
Stroke tends to affect older people, but it can strike people of any age. At St. Barnabas Hospital, nearly 50% of its stroke patients from January 2008 to March 2009 were under the age of 60.
While risk factors such as increasing age and family history cannot be changed, people can lower the likelihood of a stroke by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. According to Dr. Segan, his center sees many patients who have the key risk factors for stroke – high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, excessive alcoholic intake, blood disorders (like sickle cell anemia) and illegal drug use. Race plays a role with strokes, with African-Americans and Hispanics having a higher incidence than Caucasians.
The Speakers
Dr. Segan, an attending neurologist at St. Barnabas Hospital, is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He trained at Mount Sinai Services and SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn/Kings County Hospital, and has published in various medical journals. Dr. Rabines is the hospital’s chief resident in emergency medicine. He holds a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, a Masters in Physiology from New York Medical College and a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.
Dinner with a Doctor
Dinner with a Doctor is held at St. Barnabas Hospital on a regular basis, with members of the medical staff available to discuss various health issues while attendees enjoy a light meal. Past events have included presentations on sleep disorders, heart care, diabetes, pain management, foot care and medication management. To meet the diverse needs of the people served by the hospital, the presentations are offered in English, Spanish and other languages.
“We encourage members of the communities we serve to take advantage of our Dinner with a Doctor series,” said Len Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at St. Barnabas Hospital. “It gives them a chance to meet some of the area’s best doctors and clinicians, and get answers to questions they may have on various health and medical topics. We view the upcoming presentation on stroke as an opportunity for people to learn more about a very serious condition that affects so many patients in our community.”
The event, which includes the serving of a healthy meal and is open to the public at no cost, will be held in the Braker Building boardroom on the St. Barnabas Hospital campus (Third Avenue and 182nd Street). It is limited to 60 people, with free parking available in the hospital’s Quarry Road parking lot. To RSVP, call Diana Loubriel at 718-960-9295.
Steven Clark/Howard Matzner
Andover Communications
(201) 947-4133
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