Public school program advances stroke education and community awareness.
By Rachel Forman, Kalliopi Tsakpounidou, and Michael Rafferty
Rachel Forman, Kalliopi Tsakpounidou, and Michael Rafferty
A collaboration in Derby, Connecticut, is bringing together Yale School of Medicine, Griffin Hospital, and Derby Public Schools with the FAST Heroes program to strengthen stroke awareness across the community.
The initiative uses the FAST Heroes curriculum, an interactive stroke educational program based on the FAST stroke recognition acronym: Face, Arm, Speech, Time. It was developed at the University of Macedonia in Greece. The curriculum is supported by the Angels Initiative, a health care intervention program dedicated to improving stroke survival. It was developed by pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim.
The Angels Initiative is aimed at equipping school children with the ability to identify stroke symptoms promptly and act appropriately in case of suspected stroke (for example, calling an emergency number for an ambulance).
Using storytelling, animated characters, and family-oriented activities, the program is being implemented in both of Derby’s elementary schools, empowering children to recognize the signs of stroke and to share this knowledge at home. Early feedback from teachers in Derby suggests high student enthusiasm and meaningful conversations occurring within families, expanding the program’s reach beyond the classroom.
To date, more than one million children have been educated through the FAST Heroes program globally. Many lives have been saved around the world thanks to the preparedness of children who have participated in the program.
With this educational effort, Griffin Hospital in Derby is collecting data on stroke knowledge and response behaviors among patients admitted with stroke. The goal is to better understand how school-based interventions may influence real-world outcomes, including EMS activation and time to treatment. Dr. Rachel Forman, a Yale stroke neurologist, is providing academic and clinical guidance and helping to ensure the initiative’s educational and research components are aligned.
Together, these partners are building a community-centered model that links health education, clinical data, and family engagement, offering a promising approach for improving stroke preparedness in similar communities. •
Rachel Forman is an assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Kalliopi Tsakpounidou is a post-doctoral researcher and secondary special education teacher in the Department of Educational and Social Policy at the University of Macedonia in Greece. Michael Rafferty is the director of teaching and learning at Derby Public Schools in Derby, Connecticut.
