Khurana Family
Stroke Education

More than 150 community members attended an educational event on strokes in Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital’s Swadesh Khurana Healing Garden on May 29, 2014. Guests were offered a free stroke risk assessment upon arrival, measuring their risk factors and assessing their knowledge regarding stroke signs and symptoms. Lunch was provided for all attendees and the hospital’s stroke team visited with guests, providing educational materials and answering questions. 


Sheila Fata, vice president and chief nursing officer, Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, welcomed the community and recognized the generous contributions of the Khurana family, which made the event possible. “We were blessed to have a representative of the Khurana family present at this event,” said Ms. Fata. “The family has provided philanthropic support to advance stroke care and education programs at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, and it was such a privilege to hold this event in the ‘Swadesh Khurana Healing Garden’ which bears the name of their loved one, Swadesh Khurana, who lost her life due to a stroke." 


Kate Simpson, director of quality improvement at the American Heart Association began by presenting the hospital with the prestigious “Get with the Guidelines” Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes hospitals for implementing excellent care for stroke patients according to evidence-based guidelines. The hospital was also recognized as a recipient of the association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll for improving timeliness of stroke care. Over the past year, 100% of the hospital’s eligible ischemic stroke patients received tPA, a clot-busting agent, within 60 minutes of arriving at the hospital (known as “door-to-needle” time). If administered within the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has shown signs of significantly reversing the effects of ischemic stroke and reducing permanent disability.

 
Following the award presentation, Dr. Amy Naquin-Chappel, neurologist and medical director of the Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Stroke Program, presented a lecture covering stroke prevention, recognizing and responding to signs and symptoms, and the latest treatments in stroke care. Dr. Naquin-Chappel engaged the audience with her interactive presentation, leading a question and answer session, and visiting with attendees following the program. 


Response to the event was extremely positive. Betty Johnson, a new resident in the Houston area, attended the event and stated, “The stroke lecture at Houston Methodist Willowbrook was filled with practical information on causes of strokes, how to identify them and what to do immediately if one occurs. Having a printed copy of the lecture was as helpful as the speaker’s use of plain, everyday language. The icing on the event was being treated to a delicious, healthy lunch in a lovely setting on a gorgeous day. It was a winner.”