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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) applauded the Senate’s unanimous passage of their resolution recognizing May as Stroke Awareness Month. The resolution encourages the federal government, researchers, families, and the public to increase awareness of strokes and access to timely treatments for individuals who suffer from strokes. Senators Mike Braun (R-IN) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are original cosponsors.
 
The full text of the resolution is below. 
 
Whereas stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident, is an acute neurological injury that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted by a clot in the artery or a burst of the artery;
 
Whereas stroke is a medical emergency that can cause permanent neurological damage, or even death, if not promptly diagnosed and treated;
 
Whereas, in the United States, stroke is now the fifth leading cause of death;
 
Whereas, in the United States, someone has a stroke every 40 seconds, and someone dies of stroke every 3.5 minutes;
 
Whereas approximately 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year;
 
Whereas the stroke-related costs in the United States came to nearly $53,000,000,000 between 2017 and 2018, including the cost of healthcare services, medicines to treat stroke, and missed days of work;
 
Whereas stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability;
 
Whereas those disabilities may require ongoing physical, occupational, speech-language, and other therapy and surgeries;
 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that the most effective stroke treatments are available only if the stroke is recognized and diagnosed within 3 hours of the first symptoms and recommends the public be familiar with and use the mnemonic F.A.S.T. to identify the signs and symptoms of stroke;
 
Whereas the F.A.S.T. mnemonic describes the symptoms of stroke, the methods for assessing those symptoms, and the actions to take in response to those symptoms and stands for—
 
(1) face drooping, observable when the person smiles and one side of the face droops;
 
(2) arm weakness, observable when both arms are raised and one arm drifts downward;
 
(3) speech difficulty, observable when asking the person to repeat a simple phrase and the speech is slurred or strange; and time to call 9–1–1, if any of these symptoms are
present; and
 
Whereas the permanent health concerns and treatments resulting from stroke have a considerable impact on children, families, and society: Now, therefore, be it
 
Resolved, That the Senate—
 
(1) supports the designation of May 2022 as  ‘‘Stroke Awareness Month’’ to increase awareness and education so that people in the United States know their risk factors and obtain treatment early;
 
(2) encourages the people of the United States to support the efforts, programs, services, and advocacy of organizations that work to enhance public awareness of stroke; and
 
(3) encourages continued coordination and co11 operation between government, researchers, families, and the public to improve prognoses by increasing access to timely treatments for individuals who suffer strokes