Stroke awareness, education top of mind for neuroscience nurses

More than 200 neuroscience nurses and other health care providers are expected to attend “Wisdom from the Field: Innovations for Clinical Practice-2008,” hosted by the Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) on Feb. 28 and 29 at the Houston Marriott Medical Center, located next to The Methodist Hospital. Stroke awareness, outreach, prevention, research, and treatment will be the main focus during the first day of the conference.

About the Methodist Neurological Institute
The Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) houses the practice and research activities of the departments of neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neurophysiology and physical medicine & rehabilitation at The Methodist Hospital. The mission of the NI is to advance the discovery of the origins, mechanisms and treatment of neurological disease and to provide comprehensive care for patients with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord.

Methodist is primarily affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Methodist is also affiliated with the University of Houston. Methodist is ranked among the country’s top centers in 14 specialties in U.S News & World Report’s 2007 America’s Best Hospitals issue. Methodist is ranked in more specialties than any other hospital in Texas, and is 9th in the nation for neurology and neurosurgery.

For more on the Methodist Neurological Institute, visit www.methodistneuroinstitute.com, or call 713.790.3333.

Keynote speaker Bryan Norsworthy can attest to the importance of stroke awareness. Quick thinking and quick action by his family helped Norsworthy get to The Methodist Hospital emergency department in a timely manner, where the 46-year-old learned he had suffered a severe stroke. Norsworthy will share his experience and discuss the importance of stroke education at the conference.
Methodist’s emphasis on stroke is part of a system-wide initiative called the Taking Strides4Stroke: Community Stroke Awareness Campaign, designed to promote community awareness and education about the disease. The main event, Methodist’s Stride4Stroke 5K Walk/Run, on March 8 at Rice University, is expected to draw thousands of participants.

Day two of “Wisdom from the Field” will focus on epilepsy, spinal surgery, Lou Gehrig’s disease and much more. This year’s Vicki Appel Distinguished Speaker is Susan Heath, RN, MS, CNRN, and Movement Disorders Clinical Nurse Specialist from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center-Parkinson’s Disease, Research, Education and Clinical Center in San Francisco, California. Heath will present innovative practice issues concerning Parkinson’s Disease.

The Methodist Hospital is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Texas Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This activity meets Type I criteria for mandatory continuing education requirements toward relicensure as established by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas.

Earn up to 12 contact hours upon successful completion of ”Wisdom from the Field: Innovations for Clinical Practice 2008,” which requires attendance at one or both days of the activity in their entirety and completion of the evaluation tool.

For more information, call 713.441.3222 or go to http:///www.methodisthealth.com/neurosymposium.

About the Methodist Neurological Institute
The Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) houses the practice and research activities of the departments of neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neurophysiology and physical medicine & rehabilitation at The Methodist Hospital. The mission of the NI is to advance the discovery of the origins, mechanisms and treatment of neurological disease and to provide comprehensive care for patients with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord.

Methodist is primarily affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Methodist is also affiliated with the University of Houston. Methodist is ranked among the country’s top centers in 14 specialties in U.S News & World Report’s 2007 America’s Best Hospitals issue. Methodist is ranked in more specialties than any other hospital in Texas, and is 9th in the nation for neurology and neurosurgery.