Baptist Health staff is trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke using the FAST acronym. Learn more about the warning signs of a stroke.
Tanner Dublin, Patient Access Coordinator
Mr. Farmer arrived to main registration to sign in for a test that had been ordered by his provider. Upon signing in on his slip, I noticed agitation, [his] speech was a little off, and he was having difficulties writing his name.
Danny Farmer, Boaz, Kentucky
All at once, a little tingle like electricity ran over my whole body, just for the time you could flip your finger. I was trying to say “electricity,” and I started slurring the word and couldn’t get it out. He spotted me real quick.
Dublin
Once I noticed that his face had started to draw, my supervisor called Code Stroke, and my team lead called the ER charge nurse to notify them of what was going on. Within 30 seconds, they were there. They got him to where he needed to be.
Chapman Offutt, RN, Neuroscience Coordinator
He was able to receive TPA. TPA is a medication used to dissolve blood clots. It’s an IV medication that’s given over an hour, and it dissolves that clot and restores blood flow to the brain.
Farmer
I was amazed that the young man trying to take the information knew what to look for, and then I was told he was trained to do that.
Dublin
During hospital orientation, we go over stroke awareness, and we do have a quick card on our badge that has “FAST,” for face, arm, speech and time. Knowing [this], with his slurred speech and with his face starting to draw, he was indeed having a stroke.
Farmer
I think the world of Baptist Health for doing their job and doing stuff like that. The Lord was looking after me, taking care of me that day.
Strokes are the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. Take our stroke risk assessment to estimate your personal risk of having a stroke, and identify your stroke risk factors and how to improve them.
Find Out Your Stroke Risk
