Act F.A.S.T.

4 simple letters make up one quick thinking word that could help save someone's life. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the US and close to 800,000 people in the US have one each year. Despite these facts, strokes may be preventable. They are also treatable.

A stoke occurs when something is blocking the the blood supply to the brain or a blood vessel in the brain bursts. There are 2 types of strokes, ischemic and hemorrhagic.

Some of the warnings signs of a stroke include:

• Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

If you exhibit or witness any of these signs, it is important to call 911 right away!

Those at highest risk for stroke are people with a family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes.

• For ways to prevent a stroke, check out the CDC's guide on prevention
• To spread awareness this month, check out The Stroke Association
• Million Hearts has resources & events on Stroke Awareness Month too!
• For facts on strokes, click here!

Traveling Abroad?

Did you know that 30 million Americans watched the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding this past weekend? Not only that, there were around 100,000 people from all over the world lined up in Windsor just to get a glance at the the newlyweds. With all this excitement surrounding England, ever wonder what all it takes to travel there or just anywhere outside of the US?

In order to travel to anywhere outside of the contiguous 50 states, you will need a passport. You can obtain one in several ways. The best way to start this process is by going to www.passports.state.gov/ and figuring out the best option for yourself. If you are traveling to a US territory from the US, you only need a driver's licence or photo ID. These territories include the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Depending on the area of the world you are traveling in, you may need to update your vaccines or even get completely different ones. The CDC has a drop down list where you can choose what country you are traveling to, and it will give you a suggestion of what you may need. It is also important to be aware of what the current diseases you be at risk for. For example, in South America Yellow Fever, Zika and Malaria are all highly contactable at the moment. It is important to be prepared as much as possible when traveling to these areas of the world and to stay up to date on health notices. These notices can be found here: www.cdc.gov/travel/notices

Other things of note when traveling abroad are what to pack, what is the best time of year to travel, where should you stay and what are the best things to site see. For information on traveling abroad check out:

• Travel Tips
• Trip Advisor Attractions
• Packing Hacks
• Best time to travel
• Currency Converter

Women's Health

As Mother's Day has just passed us by, this week began National Women's Health Week! Women are encouraged this week to take steps to become healthier during this time. Becoming a healthier YOU isn't just a matter of eating well and getting more exercise, but taking multiple steps to improve your overall well-being. You can achieve better health by:

• visiting a doctor or nurse for a check-up and preventative screenings
• getting active and getting more exercise
• eating healthy
• paying attention to your mental health
• getting enough sleep 
• managing stress
• stop smoking
• practice safe driving (like texting and driving, wearing a seat-belt, wear a helmet)

Having an overall state of well being can vary at each age. Despite this, it is still important to evaluate several life factors, including your alcohol and tobacco usage. It is also important to beaware of any family medical history and protecting yourself from the sun. These things could have an effect on you later in life. You will want to stay current on your vaccines too! It is recommended to get the flu, MMR, HPV (if you are under 26) T-dap and hepatitis vaccines.  If you have any violence in your life, seek help immediately! 

Staying healthy can often times be overwhelming, but just making simple changes a little bit at a time can make it a lot more manageable. For information on women's health week, ways you can stay healthy, as well as how to encourage others to do so, check out some of the resources below!

• www.womenshealth.gov/nwhw
• www.choosemyplate.gov
• www.hrsa.gov/womens-guidelines
• www.girlshealth.gov
• www.health.gov
• www.mentalhealth.gov

Celebrate Nurses Week

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale's birthday. These dates establish National Nurses Week as a nationally recognized event.

Florence Nightingale is the founder of modern nursing. In 1860, she established a professional nursing school at the St. Thomas Hospital in London and started the foundation of nursing there. It was the first secular nursing school in the world. Since then, she has been inspiring men and women worldwide to become nurses!

Nurses care hold many roles in the work environment. Registered Nurses may work in hospitals, physicians’ offices, home healthcare services, and nursing care facilities. Others may work in outpatient clinics and schools, or serve in the military. To become a registered nurse, there are multiple education paths: a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), or a diploma from an approved nursing program. Registered nurses must be licensed.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 15 percent from 2016 to 2026. This is much faster than the average for all occupations. Growth will occur for a number of reasons, including an increased emphasis on preventive care; growing rates of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity; and demand for healthcare services from the baby-boom population, as they live longer and more active lives.

Nurses hold a highly important role in the healthcare field and without them, patients, physicians and facilities would not be able to operate as efficiently as they do. Below is information on the many different types of nursing degrees available as well as facts on nursing and information on how you can spread awareness this week!

• Best Types of Nursing Degrees
• What Registered Nurses Do
• Celebrate National Nurses Week 

Drive Safe!

Hola Amigos! Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. This day is celebrated to honor Mexico's victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Worldwide, people enjoy partaking in the celebration. The US Department of Transportation offers marketing tools to remind individuals to be safe during the holiday. These tools can be found here. This isn't the only holiday that NHTSA offers safety marketing tools for, in March, they released an article discussing the dangers of drinking and driving during St. Patrick's Day. More than 1/3 of all motor vehicle fatalities that occurred each year around May 5th involved impaired drivers or motorcycle operators with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of .08 and above.

Cinco de Mayo is only one day out of many where people, worldwide are having celebratory occasions coming up. As the months get warmer and more special moments occur, its important to stay safe and have an action plan! Nearly twice as many people are killed in auto accidents during the summer months than rest of the months combined. The NHTSA and Ad Council released a guide a few years ago on staying safe while hitting the road in the summer months! That guide can be found here! 

Holidays, summertime and fun are all meant to be enjoyed, but responsibly! When you go out with your love ones, be sure to:

• know your limit
• eat before you drink
• slow down!
• be aware of unfamiliar drinks
• appoint a designated driver

For more tips on staying safe, go to www.preventionlane.org

For statistics on drinking and driving, go to www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety

For information about alcohol dependency, please visit the National Council on Alcoholism & Dependence