{"id":18224,"date":"2026-05-11T08:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=18224"},"modified":"2026-05-11T08:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T12:36:00","slug":"rhhd-encourages-community-members-to-learn-the-signs-and-symptoms-of-a-stroke","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/rhhd-encourages-community-members-to-learn-the-signs-and-symptoms-of-a-stroke\/","title":{"rendered":"RHHD Encourages Community Members to  Learn the Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>May 11, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, <a href=\"mailto:bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov\">bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>RHHD Encourages Community Members to <\/strong><strong>Learn the Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>May is American Stroke Month<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>RICHMOND, Va.<\/strong> \u2014Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) encourage community members to learn the signs and symptoms of a stroke. Strokes happen when something blocks blood flow to the brain or a blood vessel in the brain bursts\u2014it&#8217;s sometimes called a \u201cbrain attack\u201d for this reason. Strokes are the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/state-stats\/states\/va.html#cdc_data_surveillance_section_3-leading-causes-of-death\">fourth leading cause of death in Virginia<\/a> (behind cancer, heart disease, and accidents). May is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stroke.org\/en\/about-the-american-stroke-association\/stroke-awareness-month\">American Stroke Month<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can save a life by learning the signs and symptoms of a stroke,\u201d said Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Director Dr. Elaine Perry. \u201cThe sooner someone gets medical care after a stroke, the better chance they have of recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>People experiencing a stroke need quick, professional medical care. The most important step you can take to help is calling 911 as soon as you spot the signs and symptoms of a stroke. RHHD recommends this helpful phrase for remembering the signs and symptoms of a stroke: BE FAST.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Balance (loss of balance, headaches, or dizziness)<\/li>\n<li>Eyes (blurred vision)<\/li>\n<li>Face (one side of the face drooping)<\/li>\n<li>Arm (arm or leg weakness)<\/li>\n<li>Speaking (speech difficulty)<\/li>\n<li>Time (call 911 immediately)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Not every person experiencing a stroke will demonstrate all these symptoms, so you should call 911 if you spot any of these symptoms. For more resources, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/rhhd.gov\/stroke-smart\">rhhd.gov\/stroke-smart<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Flu, RSV, pneumococcal, and shingles vaccines have been linked to <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.jhu.edu\/2025\/the-health-and-economic-benefits-of-vaccines\">reduced risk of stroke<\/a> and other cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory events in older adults.<\/p>\n<p>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/rhhd.gov\/\">rhhd.gov<\/a> for more health and safety information. Follow RHHD on Instagram (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/richmondcity_hd\">@richmondcity_hd<\/a>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RichmondHenricoHealthDistricts\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May 11, 2026 Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov \u00a0 RHHD Encourages Community Members to Learn the Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke May is American Stroke Month RICHMOND, Va. \u2014Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) encourage community members to learn the signs and symptoms of a stroke. Strokes happen when something blocks blood flow [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[936,698,196,682,1530],"class_list":["post-18224","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-american-stroke-month","tag-blood-pressure","tag-dr-elaine-perry","tag-richmond-and-henrico-health-districts","tag-stroke"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>RHHD Encourages Community Members to Learn the Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/rhhd-encourages-community-members-to-learn-the-signs-and-symptoms-of-a-stroke\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RHHD Encourages Community Members to Learn the Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"May 11, 2026 Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov \u00a0 RHHD Encourages Community Members to Learn the Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke May is American Stroke Month RICHMOND, Va. \u2014Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) encourage community members to learn the signs and symptoms of a stroke. 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