Bend-based Stroke Awareness Oregon reports results of November BEFAST Awareness Campaign
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend-based nonprofit Stroke Awareness Oregon held its annual BEFAST Awareness Campaign from November 11-18 of this year; BEFAST, an acronym of stroke warning signs, breaks down into Balance loss, Eyesight changes, Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty and Time to call 911.
SAO exists to mitigate death and disability caused by stroke and to support stroke families in living their best possible lives. The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness for the warning signs of stroke, and the mission of SAO.
The BEFAST Campaign exists to help make sure that community members who do have a stroke are surrounded by people who know how to identify it, and what to do in that situation. This helps reduce response times, and decrease the detrimental effects that can linger after a stroke.
SAO invites individuals, families and organizations to get involved by participating as distribution volunteers or offering their businesses, churches, and schools as locations to share BEFAST information and help spread the word. In total, forty volunteers and SAO team members distributed over 10,000 informational BEFAST cards, as well as 1,000 of the Spanish version, RAPIDO cards.
The BEFAST Campaign covered cities in Oregon including Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Prineville, Madras, La Pine, Portland, Corvallis and Florence, as well as Vancouver, Washington. In Bend and Redmond, BEFAST cards were distributed at Veterans Day parades to share information within the community of veterans, a group that has a higher than average risk of stroke.
First Interstate Bank and WaFd participated in the campaign by handing out BEFAST cards at each of their locations. In addition, SAO PSAs were broadcast on all Central Oregon Daily stations.
“It's critical that someone experiencing a stroke get medical intervention as soon as possible to decrease the potential for death and disability,” said SAO Executive Director Carol Stiles. “That's why SAO is dedicated to getting out the message about BEFAST. And we know it's working because we are hearing stories of people's lives saved because someone knew about BEFAST."
For more information on SAO, to make a donation or have BEFAST cards delivered to you or your business, visit www.strokeawarenessoregon.org or contact Joey Drucker at 541-323-5641.
About Stroke Awareness Oregon
Stroke Awareness Oregon is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the impact of stroke through education, outreach, and support. We work with individuals, healthcare providers, stroke families and communities to promote early recognition, encourage healthy lifestyles, and provide resources for stroke survivors and their caregivers.
