The Kentucky and Southern Indiana Stroke Association (KSISA) was chartered in 1999 as a chapter of the National Stroke Association (NSA) www.stroke.org. The joint mission of NSA and its chapters is to improve public awareness of stroke and its warning signs, as well as to reduce its incidence and impact.

 

Current estimates are that 750,000 new strokes occur in the United States each year. About 15 to 18% of these are fatal. This makes stroke the 3rd leading cause of death in the elderly population. In addition, stroke is the leading cause of neurologic disability in adults, with an estimated 4 million stroke survivors. Kentucky and Indiana have been identified as being in the “Stroke Belt” – a group of states in the southeastern U.S. with a higher incidence of stroke than the rest of the nation. This is attributed to a number of factors, including a higher rate of smoking, but all of the known factors relate to the public’s lack of understanding of the importance of identifying and then reducing or eliminating these known risk factors. While stroke mortality rates have gradually been declining, stroke occurrence rates have remained stable. With the aging of our population, we anticipate that the number of stroke survivors will increase in the first quarter of the 21^st century.

 

With the help of our board members, volunteers and fundraisers, we have realized our goal of opening an office in 2003 and hiring an Executive Director. We are striving to make the public aware of our existence through promotional events, stroke screenings, and through existing resources such as the several Stroke Clubs and support groups already in existence. We would like to see more of these groups develop across Kentucky and Southern Indiana, where feasible.

 

Our goal is to become an educational and supportive organization, and a resource center for those affected by stroke, either directly or indirectly. We are in need of anyone wishing to volunteer their time for various events, promotions and fundraising, or working in the office with general phone and clerical work. For those with organization and leadership skills, we welcome their expertise as advisors or members of our Board, or in helping us make contact with leaders who can help with these tasks. We hope to broaden the community’s input into the organization in all areas.

 

We began as a group of individuals primarily involved with various health care organizations in Kentucky and Southern Indiana, and we realize our effectiveness in getting our important message to the public lies in presenting information in a way which is effective to those most in need. Let’s all work together to increase awareness of stroke warning signs and to reduce the incidence of stroke.

 

 

Dr. James M. Gebel, Jr., MD

President of the Board

Kentucky and Southern Indiana Stroke Association

 

 

 

Kentucky and Southern Indiana Stroke Association
Board of Directors 2010
 

 

Kentucky and Southern Indiana Stroke Association

2010 Advisory Board Members