“I remember the physician in ER telling me that Luther’s stroke could have been prevented when I rushed my boss to the hospital,” says Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek. “Those words have haunted me for the past 17 years. I have dedicated my life to help others living with diabetes learn to prevent a stroke and/or other diabetes health-related complications from occurring.”
Please join us for The Frazier Family Coalition for Stroke Education and Prevention’s Keep A House A Home Virtual Event, Part 1 on Thursday, May 13, 2021; 7 PM- 8 PM with Dr. Rosenwasser, and Rosalind Shackelford.
Please join us for The Frazier Family Coalition for Stroke Education and Prevention’s Keep A House A Home Virtual Even, Part 2 on Thursday, May 27, 2021- 7 PM- 8 PM with Dr. Katz, Miss Patty Jackson, Catherine Schuller, and Dr. Lane Brown.
The Frazier Family Coalition for Stroke Education and Prevention establishes a partnership between Thomas Jefferson University and Temple University to address social determinants of health and race-ethnic disparities that lead to poor health and increased risk of stroke for residents of North Philadelphia. The initiative will focus specifically on the neighborhoods surrounding 18th and York streets, sometimes referred to as Allegheny West, which ranked nearly last among Philadelphia neighborhoods for health outcomes.
Stroke is the fourth-highest cause of death in Philadelphia. Due to a range of factors—including lack of accessibility to healthcare providers, unmanaged chronic disease, and lack of awareness of risk factors—the rate of stroke is highest among underserved African American community members. Research has shown nearly 80% of strokes are preventable. In Philadelphia, the stroke rate is 20 times the national average; approximately 60,000 of the 785,000 cases of stroke reported annually happen in the city.
The objective of the Frazier Coalition is to create a wholly integrated health education and community navigation program that connects at-risk community members with the information, resources, and clinical care they need to prevent stroke, as well as to connect patients who have had a stroke with the services they need to prevent a reoccurrence.
“It is critical that our health systems address the disparities that impact underserved communities. Stroke disproportionately affects disadvantaged African American community members and combined with poor access to education and healthcare, results in significantly poorer health outcomes,” Andréa and Ken Frazier said in a joint statement. “Our family has deep roots in North Philadelphia and has been impacted by the debilitating effects of stroke. We feel privileged to be in a position to help convene this partnership to bring life-saving stroke prevention measures to our community.”