The NINDS developed the Know Strok …
The NINDS developed the Know Stroke campaign to help educate the public about the symptoms of stroke and the importance of getting to the hospital quickly, with a wide range of materials about stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation available through the site. The campaign includes outreach to consumers and health care professionals using mass media, grassroots outreach, partnerships, and community education.
The campaign also targets Spanish-speaking communities through a variety of Spanish language materials available throughout this site.
One of the key messages of the campaign is knowing the symptoms of stroke:

Sudden NUMBNESS or weakness of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
 
Sudden CONFUSION, trouble speaking or understanding speech
 
Sudden TROUBLE SEEING in one or both eyes
 
Sudden TROUBLE WALKING, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
 
Sudden SEVERE HEADACHE with no known cause
 

Since its launch in 2001, the Know Stroke campaign has focused on:

Increasing the public's awareness of signs and symptoms of stroke;
 
Encouraging the public to call 911 in case of stroke; and
 
Influencing the health care community to implement and improve protocols to treat stroke.
 

A key partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention branch produced Know Stroke in the Community (KSIC) in 2004. KSIC recruits "Stroke Champions" in each community who are trained to use NINDS stroke education materials and then charged with bringing campaign messages to their communities. Campaign materials include a stroke education kit with a video, brochures, radio public service announcements (PSAs), and posters.
The campaign's target audiences are those at high risk for stroke - primarily African Americans, Hispanics, and people over the age of 50 - and their family members, caregivers and health care providers. Because stroke attacks the brain, the person experiencing the symptoms often cannot act alone to call 911 and seek medical treatment. Bystanders are integral to acting quickly and getting people who have suffered a stroke to the hospital quickly enough to get time-sensitive treatments.
HEALTH PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) offers a variety of educational materials designed for health care professionals involved in treatment of acute stroke. The materials can be ordered in single copies or in quantity, and can be used in medical schools, educational settings, hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities. The community education kit is a tool for increasing public awareness about stroke. Additional public education materials on stroke are also available for free from NINDS.
Know Stroke Toolkit
This boxed kit of materials has everything needed for planning and conducting a stroke education event. Included is a facilitator's guide, with step-by-step training on how to host a stroke awareness event; brochures in Spanish and English; posters; and an award-winning 8 minute videotape featuring interviews with medical experts and stroke patients.
Research Spotlight
The NINDS conducts stroke research and clinical trials at its laboratories and clinics at the NIH, and through grants to major medical institutions across the country.