Rockford Students Win Stroke Awareness Video Contest

Rockford High School students have won the top prize in the 2013 Value Health Partners Stroke Prevention Student Video Competition. The students submitted their video to Spectrum Health, a member of Value Health Partners (VHP), a Michigan multi-system organization.

The winning video was created by students Allison Reichenbach and Baylie Rajter, under the guidance of Rockford High School teacher Kristopher DeYoung. The Rockford High School media department will receive $1,500.

In recognition of National Stroke Awareness Month (May), student entrants were encouraged to submit a public service video that captured the “FAST” message to help the public easily recall stroke symptoms and know what to do.

• 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 – If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.

The Rockford students’ video uses stop action and a whiteboard to share the message. It can be viewed at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5bjhLWJsrM&list=PLg9kr7wI7eZ0kfp-eyVebBrTnGYtljRpL&index=2.

The annual video competition, now in its third year, is open to students in the areas served by VHP’s member organizations. The purpose is to increase stroke awareness with the hope of decreasing the rate of death and disability from stroke. Approximately 8,000 patients in the areas served by VHP members suffer from a stroke each year.

Spectrum Health Healthier Communities partnered with the Spectrum Health stroke program to fund this special effort to work with area students to educate the community about the importance of immediate stroke response. The schools in Spectrum Health’s region that submitted videos include Rockford High School, Forest Hills Eastern High School, Sparta High School, Careerline Tech Center and Whitehall Junior High School. Their video entries can be seen at: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg9kr7wI7eZ3SoBpLj0hRmIIefbVIx2Mb

Value Health Partners was formed in 2008 to create greater value for the patients and communities they serve. The coalition’s focus is on:

Clinical quality and best practices
Community health improvement programs to address health disparities for at-risk populations
Advocacy to represent a variety of Michigan communities on health policy issues

Value Health Partners includes:

Allegiance Health System, Jackson
Bronson Healthcare Group, Kalamazoo
Covenant HealthCare, Saginaw
Lakeland HealthCare, St. Joseph
Munson Healthcare, Traverse City
Sparrow Health System, Lansing
Spectrum Health System, Grand Rapids

Spectrum Health Butterworth and Blodgett hospitals are certified primary stroke centers and provide prompt stroke patient care, including advanced treatment options as well as other defined standards of The Joint Commission, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. Spectrum Health also has an online stroke risk assessment posted at www.spectrumhealth.org/strokerisk for people who want to learn their personal risk factors and what they can do to prevent stroke. More information about stroke is available at www.spectrumhealth.org/stroke.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of nine hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital; 130 ambulatory and service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling 751 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 600,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with 19,100 employees. The organization provided $204 million in community benefit during its 2012 fiscal year.