St. Luke’s Miners Campus will be hosting an ongoing Stroke Support Group for stroke survivors and their families and friends. The group will meet the third Tuesday of every month beginning in May from 6 PM to 7 PM in the Community Room at St. Luke’s Miners Hospital, 360 West Ruddle Street, Coaldale. Dates are May 20, June 17, July 15, August 19, September 16, October 21, November 18 and December 16, 2014.
The group, led by the Rehabilitation Department, will educate members about stroke, increase self-help, problem-solving and preventive measures and serve as a resource for new stroke victims and their families.  By providing encouragement about shared problems and accomplishments, the group will enhance personal dignity, self-worth and quality of life. Attendance will help reduce feelings of isolation and help stroke survivors integrate into social situations, said J.P. Evans, Director of Rehabilitation at St. Luke’s Miners Campus.
“This is the only stroke support group in our community,” said Evans. “This group will help survivors learn to live with the changes caused by a stroke and help them, and their families, adjust to living within their homes and the community.”
Topics will include balance and coördination, nutrition, lifestyle choices, speech therapy and prevention of future strokes. This group is open to stroke survivors, family members, friend and other interested parties.  For more information or to register please call St. Luke’s InfoLink toll-free at 1-866-STLUKES (785-8537).
St. Luke’s Miners Campus is a fully accredited, not-for-profit, 44-bed Level IV Trauma Center located in Coaldale.  Accredited by the Joint Commission, St. Luke¹s Miners Campus provides a variety of health care services. The hospital is affiliated with the nationally recognized St. Luke¹s University Health Network and currently provides health care services to more than 11,000 people annually.  Additional on-site services include a home health agency and a 48-bed skilled nursing facility.