Goldcorp Partners with Heart and Stroke Foundation to Improve Stroke Prevention, Treatment and Care

A new program will serve remote and northern communities surrounding Goldcorp’s operations in Ontario and Quebec; Donation announced at Heart of Gold Gala in Vancouver

A new partnership between Goldcorp and the Heart and Stroke Foundation will bring better stroke prevention, treatment and care to the communities surrounding Goldcorp’s Red Lake, Porcupine and Musselwhite mines in Ontario and its Éléonore mine in Quebec.

Goldcorp is donating $605,000 to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s stroke awareness initiatives – including the new FAST signs of stroke awareness campaign – as well as professional development and Telestroke preparedness and integration activities. Ultimately, this gift will help to reduce deaths and disability from stroke in remote and northern communities, by ensuring individuals know the signs of stroke and receive the most effective treatments as quickly as possible.

Goldcorp announced the donation at the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Heart of Gold Gala, which took place on Friday, June 5 in Vancouver, BC. The gala raised over $1.4 million towards supporting the Foundation’s important work in stroke.

“Goldcorp supports the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s critical work in preventing disease, saving lives and promoting recovery. Our commitment to the health and wellness of our employees and the communities where they live is aligned with our vision of Together, Creating Sustainable Value. We believe we can make a positive impact to support the Foundation’s vision of Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke,” said Charlene Ripley, Executive VP Goldcorp, Heart of Gold Gala Chair and HSF Provincial Advisory Member.

"We are so fortunate to have Goldcorp as such an important partner, contributing to the Foundation’s mission to improve stroke awareness, care and treatment in remote and northern communities. Their generosity, together with the amazing support from Heart of Gold Gala guests and sponsors, means the Foundation will be better positioned to reach its goal of reducing the death rate from heart disease and stroke by 25 per cent by 2020," said Adrienne Bakker, CEO, BC and Yukon for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

With this investment by Goldcorp, the Heart and Stroke Foundation will implement a three-point strategy over the next two years to improve stroke safety and outcomes in the communities serving Red Lake, Musselwhite, Éléonore and Porcupine mine sites by focusing on:

• Raising awareness in remote and Northern communities so that people recognize the signs of stroke and react quickly to get medical assistance.
• Training health professionals in the latest best practices in stroke prevention and care at Goldcorp’s Red Lake, Porcupine, Musselwhite and Éléonore mine sites, as well as surrounding communities.
• Supporting the health of the regions and communities by enhancing outcomes for people experiencing stroke in rural and remote communities. The goal is to further integrate Telestroke services into regional stroke systems to enhance access to prevention, treatment and rehabilitation expertise and services.

The strategy started in March 2015 and will continue for a period of two years.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s 2015 Stroke Report – Access to Stroke Care: the critical first hours (released June 4, 2015) highlights the challenges in the vital first hours after stroke that are preventing too many Canadians from getting the best care. These challenges include Canadians’ lack of knowledge around stroke and risk factor prevention and include delays in important steps in diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Another significant challenge is in bringing stroke expertise to distant locations – increasing access to specialized stroke care for those in more rural and remote regions.

 “Helping people to understand the urgency of taking rapid action for early recognition and management of stroke, as well as putting into place improved systems for treatment and support will decrease rates of disability and death from stroke,” said Ian Joiner, Director of Stroke with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. “By investing in stroke prevention and safety as well as better, faster stroke response for people living in these remote communities, this gift will have a profound impact on health outcomes that will last for many generations.”

Background:

Stroke facts

• A stroke is a sudden loss of brain function.
• 62,000 strokes occur in Canada each year – that is one stroke every nine minutes.
• 83 per cent of those who have a stroke and make it to hospital now survive.
• Brain cells die at a rate of 1.9 million per minute after stroke.
• Each year, more than 13,000 Canadians die from stroke.
• Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are living with the effects of stroke.
• Stroke can happen at any age. Stroke among people under 65 is increasing and stroke risk factors are increasing for young adults.
• Half of Canadians report having a close friend or family member who survived a stroke.

FAST signs of stroke

The Heart and Stroke Foundation recently launched a new campaign to help Canadians learn the signs of stroke and act FAST:

• FACE – is it drooping?
• ARMS – can you raise both?
• SPEECH – is it slurred or jumbled?
• TIME to call 9-1-1 right away.

For more information about the signs of stroke visit heartandstroke.ca/FAST.

About the Heart and Stroke Foundation

The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen. heartandstroke.ca