A big thank you
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Restart has received mountains and mountains of linen, to the point that we have no room to store the amount we have. With room for four large tubs on a shelf in our storage unit, we're now on a mission to sort linen to sizes and condition test. Then we have the task to compact it to fit in.
Thank you to the beautiful women that continuously dropped linen to Pakstat and had the linen sets labeled and folded. And to all the people that dropped bulk amounts of linen to our drop-off points and to the drop-off points for being patient with me, Restart couldn't have done this without you.
Tara Fellowes, president Restart Albury-Wodonga
Learn signs of stroke
On behalf of the Stroke Foundation, I welcome the Victorian government's $5.5 billion budget boost to health services, in particular its focus on emergency response and improving health infrastructure where it is needed most.
It is encouraging to see the government furthering its commitment to delivering a hospital system that Victorians can rely on close to home.
The challenge now is to ensure all Victorians know to dial triple zero at the first sign of stroke to benefit from our emergency response system and hospitals.
Stroke attacks the brain, the human control centre and it can change lives in an instant.
Around 1.9 million brain cells are destroyed each minute, but this damage can be stopped with the right treatment at the right time.
Sadly, not enough Victorians are accessing these treatments because they are not aware of the signs of stroke and the need to urgently call an ambulance.
Currently, just 36 per cent of Victorian stroke patients arrive at hospital within the 4.5-hour time window to benefit from time-critical blood clot dissolving treatments.
It's estimated there will be more than 14,000 strokes in Victoria this year.
The incidence of stroke will continue to rise as our population grows and ages and as our lifestyles become more sedentary.
I urge the government to build on this year's budget investment in health with a targeted FAST community education campaign to ensure people seek treatment for stroke quickly to improve outcomes. I also urge the community to take the time to learn FAST signs of stroke.
The F.A.S.T test involves asking these questions:
Face - Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?
Arms - Can they lift both arms?
Speech - Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time - Time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call triple zero straight away.
Jodi Briggs, Victoria state manager Stroke Foundation
Letters to the editor
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