Students competed in Munson Medical Center stroke awareness video contest
Students from Traverse City’s East Middle School and Traverse Bay Area Career Tech Center earned money for their schools in a northwestern Michigan competition to create a stroke awareness video.
Participants were asked to create a 60-second public service video that would help the public easily recall stroke symptoms and know what to do. The Munson Medical Center-sponsored competition received 23 entries from area schools.
The top prize of $1,000 went to Hunter Hawes and Max Kellogg of Traverse City East Middle School. The second place $500 prize went to Vanessa Johnson, Lauren Kiss, and Rachel Tolfree also of East Middle School. TBA Career Tech Center student Emma Kelly claimed the third place $300 prize. Munson Healthcare Foundations supplied a grant to fund the prizes.
“As in past years, we had many worthy entries from area students,” said Kersti Bruining, M.D., medical director for the stroke program at Munson Medical Center. “We congratulate the winners for their creative videos that will help educate the public about stroke symptoms and the need to act quickly to get stroke patients the care they need.”
Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of disability. The F.A.S.T. acronym has been proven to be a useful tool for people to spot the signs of stroke and seek immediate help. Patients or their families should call 911 at the onset of symptoms. Important medication can be given if they arrive within three hours of symptoms onset. Treatment starts in an ambulance.
The F.A.S.T. message is:
Face – Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
Arms – Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech – Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
Time – Any of these symptoms should result in a call to 911 immediately.
To view winning submissions, click here.