Sunday May 5th from 12pm-1pm at First Baptist Church of Fort Scott, 123 Scott Ave. the church will host a bake sale fundraiser for Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries.
*This is a FREE WILL OFFERING*
Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries helps our community with:
-groceries
-gas voucher to get to medical appointments/work
-non-narcotic medications
-shoes/clothes for work
-diabetic supplies
-hygiene
-incontinence pads
-baby diapers
-wheelchair/crutches on loan
-blankets/sheets/pillows
-resource assistance
-homeless kits
-needs to establish employment
-and more
-100% of donations stay in Fort Scott and goes to helping our community.
If you can’t make it to the Bake Sale and still want to help support this resource in our community-you can feel free to reach out to Tanya Glessner or Angela Handly.
*PLEASE SHARE THIS POST TO HELP GET THE WORD OUT*
I just read the “letter to the editor” from FS Biz, by Alan Drake. With all sincerity, I am glad for Alan to have survived his stroke (Alan is a friend of mine, and I consider him an asset to the community of FS). I noticed that his stroke and treatment occurred in 2015, or 9 years ago. Many changes and advancements in drugs and treatment have occurred over those 9 years.
A major advancement has been “the clot-dissolving medicine tPA (for tissue plasminogen activator), the first treatment for acute ischemic stroke to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Known by the generic name alteplase and marketed as Activase® (Genentech), tPA is given to patients through an IV in the arm, and it works by dissolving blood clots that block blood flow to the brain. When administered quickly after stroke onset (within three hours, as approved by the FDA), tPA helps to restore blood flow to brain regions affected by a stroke, thereby limiting the risk of damage and functional impairment. (Note the time frame of 3 hours after stroke onset). Furthermore, “Subsequent clinical trials sponsored by industry and NINDS showed that the time window for effective treatment with these devices can be extended to 16 hours or more in patients determined by brain imaging to have salvageable brain tissue”.
Yes, I agree that time is of the essence for stroke treatment, but the evidence presented here is that 3 hours is considered well within the “quick” time frame for treatment. An ER in Nevada is reachable in 20 minutes by ambulance and a stroke center ER in Pittsburg in 30 minutes. The key to survival is the quick response of EMS. with the training and knowledge of what to do and where to go. A well staffed, trained, and equipped EMS is much more important that a class IV , poorly staffed emergency room. I have not been transported by an ambulance since 1957, but I have been in several ER’s…. I want to be in the hands of the best available treatment, even if it takes a few minutes more, but well within the 3 hour timeframe. Notice that in Alan’s case, he was flown to KC for further treatment. I urge the voters to VOTE NO on the sales tax, then urge the commissioners to go out to vote on a tax that upgrades and staffs our EMS. Our EMS is a certainty, an ER is a wish that may not be attainable in our lifetime.
In the case of an ischemic stroke, blood flow to the brain is impeded. This results in oxygen starvation and loss of brain cells.
Getting the right medication ASAP is critical. This medicine can be given in an ER, but cannot be given in an ambulance. Time is the issue, as it is with sepsis, meningitis, heart attack, and head injury.
Even with drug advances, there is no turning back the clock. How much damage can occur in a 30 minute ambulance ride? Or longer, when travel is slowed by fog, snow, ice, or flood?
Thank you, Alan Drake, for sharing your story which underscores the need for an ER as close to home as possible.