Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America. Someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and there are 795,000 new or recurrent strokes annually. Stroke is also a leading cause of severe, long-term disability as it can cause paralysis, vision problems, memory loss and speech/language problems.

Tragically, African Americans are almost twice as likely to suffer a first-ever stroke as compared with white Americans. Immediate emergency medical treatment may greatly reduce long-term disability caused by stroke but, unfortunately, African American men and women hesitate to call 9-1-1.

The Stroke Awareness campaign, which began in April 2003, aims to arm the public with the knowledge that a fast reaction to stroke symptoms is critical in potentially lessening the devastating results of a stroke.

The new African American-targeted PSAs, featuring comedians Alonzo Bodden and George Wilborn, use the comedians’ stand-up routines juxtaposed with their compelling “Stroke’s No Joke” messages to illustrate the seriousness of stroke. Individuals are directed to the new website, www.strokesnojoke.org, where they can learn more about the risk factors and warning signs of stroke. Less