Jill Ogle gave a passionate talk about our need to be aware of the early signs of someone having a stroke. Every minute counts to get help as quickly as possible. Always call 911 first.

Speaker:  Jill Ogle, BSN, RN – Nurse Manager CCU/MED-SURG Fort Loudoun Medical Center
Program:  Stroke – Jill presented on the two major types of stroke (ischemic & hemorrhagic) and their unique symptoms, interventions, timeliness, and cost of Stroke to the individual and our national healthcare system. Everyone should remember the acronym “FAST” – Face/Arm & Leg/Speech/Time. Early recognition is very important, as time is crucial for effective early intervention treatments. Jill also shared her personal encounter with her own mother’s stroke.

Attendance: 14 Members, 4 Visitors – Beth Loyless, Francesca Barbaro, Jill Ogle, Mary Nypaver of Covenant Health.
Member Tidbits:
● Joan reminded us of a significant anniversary.  The results of the Salk polio vaccine field trial were announced April 12, 1955.

We’re Close to Eradicating Polio, But…
When was the last polio case in Europe? If you guessed 2002, the year the region was certified polio-free, you’re wrong.  The last time polio affected a child in Europe was 2015.  Two Ukrainian children were diagnosed with paralytic polio, and that likely means that many more were infected and didn’t show symptoms. At least one Western news outlet deemed the outbreak “crazy” — but the reality is that no place on Earth is safe from polio until the disease is eradicated everywhere.  Ukraine had fully vaccinated only 50 percent of its children against polio, and low immunization rates are a recipe for an outbreak. In this case, a rare mutation in the weakened strain used in the oral polio vaccine was able to spread because so many children had not been vaccinated. To stop it from progressing, the country needed to administer 6 million vaccines through an emergency program.  “Rotary was there at the beginning of the global effort to eradicate polio,” says International PolioPlus Committee Chair Michael K. McGovern. “It would be unfortunate if Rotary isn’t there at the finish line. We’ve done too much; we’ve made too much progress to walk away before we finish.”  But … we still need another $1.5 billion to finish the job.

“Easter is a time when God turned the inevitability of death into the invincibility of life.”   –Craig D. Lounsbrough