KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — DerrameCerebral.org is a new website from the American Heart Association that connects Spanish speakers with information about stroke.
According to the CDC, every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke. The American Heart Association said it's the fifth leading cause of death.
For Hispanic men, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death. For Hispanic women, it's the third leading cause of death. Yet, only around 58% of Hispanic Americans know the signs and symptoms of a stroke.
"The more that we can make resources accessible to all languages, you know, we do have a lot of resources, not just in Spanish, but in other languages as well," spokesperson for the Knoxville American Heart Association Shannon Smith said. "The more we can do to outreach and work on that health equity—everybody has a heart, everybody has a brain and everyone deserves to be empowered to know how to take care of those things."
The new website has the same information as their English reading site and includes interactive features.
One Hispanic East Tennessee paramedic says it's important to create these opportunities for members of her community.
"This is a way to reach them as well to make sure that they know what the signs are and they get help," Sandra Morris said. "The sooner the better because time is tissue, we're trying to save some."
Morris is Hispanic herself and goes on to explain the importance of breaking this language barrier.
"Es muy important porque yo creo que mi gente no tienen muchos recursos aqui, y a veces no saben. Y como hay ese problema con el ingles, esta es una forma de nosotros poder traerlos para que esten bien y sepan las cosas que pueden tener disponibles," Morris said.
"It is very important because I believe that my people do not have many resources here and sometimes they do not know. Since we have a problem with the English, this is a way for us to be able to bring them so they can be okay and they know what things they have at their disposal."
Both stress the importance of recognizing signs of a stroke as the earlier you are able to seek treatment, the better the outcome may be.