Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. It is also a leading cause of serious long-term disability. While most strokes occur in people aged 65 years or older, strokes can occur at any age. Knowing the symptoms of stroke and calling 9-1-1 im-mediately if someone ap-pears to be having a stroke are crucial steps in getting prompt emergency medical care for a stroke. New treatments are available that can reduce the damage caused by a stroke for some victims, but these treat-ments need to be given soon after the symptoms start. Know Your Signs and Symptoms The American Stroke Asso-ciation notes these five ma-jor signs of stroke: • Sudden numbness or

weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.

• Sudden confusion, trou-ble speaking or under-standing.

• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of

balance and coordina-tion.

• Sudden, severe head-ache with no known cause.

If you think someone is having a stroke, call 9–1–1 immediately. Immediate treatment is critical in lowering the risk of dis-ability and even death. Quick Facts

• In 2006, 137,119 people died from stroke in the United States.

• Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability.

• About 795,000 strokes occur in the United States each year.

• Stroke death rates are higher for African Americans than for Caucasians.

• People with a family history of stroke have a higher risk.

Healthy Lifestyle Choices Can Lower Your Stroke Risk Knowing your risk of stroke and doing what you can to decrease or control your risk is the best approach to pre-venting stroke and stroke-related disability. All people can take steps to lower their risk for stroke, whether they have had a stroke or not. Things you can do to lower the risk of stroke include steps to prevent and control high blood pressure, heart disease, and other chronic con-ditions, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercise, not smok-ing, and not drinking too much alcohol (drinking more than two drinks per day on average for men or more than one drink per day on average for women). To view a detailed online brochure entitled Stroke: Hope Through Research go to http://stroke.nih.gov/materials/hopethroughresearch.htm. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

May is National Stroke Awareness MonthMay is National Stroke Awareness MonthMay is National Stroke Awareness MonthMay is National Stroke Awareness Month

Spring 2011Spring 2011Spring 2011Spring 2011 Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2

May is National Stroke Awareness Month

1

Antimicrobial Resistance 2

Safe Discharge From the Hospital

2

Your Rights & Responsibili-ties

2

Seat Belts: Every Person, Every Seat, Every Trip

2

Get the Low Down on High Blood Pressure

3

Alcohol & Pregnancy 3

Inside this issue:

Visit our Health & Wellness Center on the web at www.gbsio.net

GBS Group Benefit Services, Inc. CarePlus™ Care Management 6 North Park Drive, Suite 310 Hunt Valley, MD 21030 Toll free (800) 337-4973

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is published quarterly for clients of Group Benefit Services, Inc. and the CarePlus™ Department. The details herein are intended as general health information only and should not be construed as medical advice. Readers are urged to contact their health care provider to discuss specific health questions. Members may contact CarePlus ™to inquire about our care management programs toll free at (800) 337-4973 Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm EST. CarePlus™ is URAC Accredited in Health Utilization Management and Case Management.

Spring Health Observances

April

7 World Health Day

May

National Stroke Aware-ness Month

National Blood Pres-sure Education Month

Arthritis Awareness Month

8-14 National Alcohol-and Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Week

June

5 National Cancer Sur-vivors Day

CarePlus™ BulletinCarePlus™ BulletinCarePlus™ BulletinCarePlus™ Bulletin Information and Tips for More Healthful LivingInformation and Tips for More Healthful LivingInformation and Tips for More Healthful LivingInformation and Tips for More Healthful Living

belts save lives. Parents can:

• Use a seat belt on every trip, no matter how short. This sets a good example. • Make sure children are properly buckled up in a seat belt, booster seat, or car seat, whichever is appropriate. • Have all children ages 12 and under sit in the back seat. • Never seat a child in front of an air bag. • Place children in the middle of the back seat when possible, because it is the safest spot in the vehicle. Everyone can:

• Use a seat belt on every trip, no matter how short. • Encourage everyone in the car to buckle up, including those in the back seat. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Did you know that seat belts reduce the risk of being killed or seriously injured in a crash by about 50%? Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of five and 34. Crashes also cause millions of serious injuries every year. The simple act of buckling up is the best way to save lives and reduce injuries from crashes. The Risk is Real Motor vehicle crashes are a major public health problem. Consider that more than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in emergency departments as the re-sult of being injured in motor vehicle crashes

in 2009. Crash-related deaths and injuries among drivers and pas-sengers cost $70 billion in 2005. Seat Belts Save Lives When it comes to pro-tecting drivers and their passengers, seat

isms change in ways that ren-der the medications used to cure the infections they cause ineffective. To learn more about antimicrobial resistance, go to http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs194/en/index.html.

Are you & your doctor plan-ning an elective hospital stay? If so, please contact the GBS CarePlus™ department toll free at (800) 337-4973, option 7, option 1 or have your doctor contact us as soon as you schedule your admission date. When your

planned hospital stay is au-thorized, you, your doctor and the hospital will receive an approval letter. Along with your approval letter, you will receive a copy of the patient handout, Safety As You Go from Hospital to Home, which will help you and your family bet-ter prepare for discharge home after your hospital stay. For information about your hospital benefits, please con-tact Client Services toll free at (800) 337-4973, option 6. National Cancer Survivors

Day is a worldwide celebration of life after a cancer diag-

nosis. For more information about a celebratory event in your community, go to http://www.ncsd.org.

May is Arthritis Awareness Month. Osteoarthritis is the

most common form of arthritis and is seen mostly in older adults. It is sometimes called degenera-tive joint dis-

ease. Regular physical activity plays a key role in osteoarthri-tis management. For more information on osteoarthritis, go to http://www.niams. Nih.gov/Health_Info/Osteoarthritis/default.asp#pic_4. Antimicrobial resistance is the topic of World Health Day ob-served April 7, 2011. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorgan-

GBS CarePlus™ Helping You Stay InformedGBS CarePlus™ Helping You Stay InformedGBS CarePlus™ Helping You Stay InformedGBS CarePlus™ Helping You Stay Informed

Seat Belts: Every Person, Every Seat, Every TripSeat Belts: Every Person, Every Seat, Every TripSeat Belts: Every Person, Every Seat, Every TripSeat Belts: Every Person, Every Seat, Every Trip

GBS CarePlus™ GBS CarePlus™ GBS CarePlus™ GBS CarePlus™ Patient Rights & Patient Rights & Patient Rights & Patient Rights & ResponsibilitiesResponsibilitiesResponsibilitiesResponsibilities

As a CarePlus™ member, you have rights & responsibilities You have the right to: • Be treated fairly

and respectfully • Objective medical

review services and timely notification of decisions

• Access to emergency care

• Confidentiality of health information

• File a complaint about service issues

• File a grievance when you disagree with a medical review decision

You have the responsibility to: • Satisfy your plan’s

notification requirements

• Disclose relevant information and communicate your wants and needs

• Become involved in your healthcare decisions

• Become knowledgeable about your health plan coverage

• Utilize the plan’s complaint and grievance procedures to address concerns that arise

• Show respect for other patients and other health workers

Send written complaints or grievances to the CarePlus™ Manager at our corporate office or call 1-800-337-4973 and ask to speak directly to the CarePlus™ Manager.

Spring 2011Spring 2011Spring 2011Spring 2011 Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2

Who Has High Blood Pressure

• Almost 90% of adults aged 45–64 years will develop high blood pressure during the remainder of their lifetime.

• About 25% of American adults aged 20 years or older have prehyperten-sion.

• One of every three U.S. adults aged 20 years or older have hypertension.

• Nearly one of five people have hypertension and are not aware that they have it.

• In the United States, high blood pressure is more common among blacks than whites. About 44% of black women have high blood pressure.

Health Impact of High Blood Pressure

• High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

• High blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of death for 326,000 Americans in 2006.

• Nearly 45 million people visited their doctor for high blood pressure in 2006.

High Blood Pressure & Salt A diet high in sodium (salt) increases the risk for higher blood pressure. About 77% of the sodium Americans con-sume comes from processed and restaurant foods. Preventing & Controlling High Blood Pressure

You can maintain healthy blood pres-sure through chang-ing your lifestyle or by combining life-style changes with prescribed medica-tions. Key lifestyle changes include:

• Have your blood pressure checked regularly

• Maintain a normal body weight

• Keep up physical activity • Follow a healthy eating

plan • Quit smoking • Drink alcohol in modera-

tion • Take medication as pre-

scribed To learn more visit the Na-tional Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s online tutorial enti-tled Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure, at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/. Sources: National Institutes of Health & Centers for Disease Control and Preven-tion

with alcohol can hurt an unborn baby. A 12-ounce can of beer has as much alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1-ounce shot of liquor. There is no safe time to drink during preg-nancy. Alcohol can harm a baby at any time during pregnancy. It can cause problems in the early weeks of preg-nancy, before a woman even knows she is pregnant. Many women continue to drink during preg-nancy. About 1 in 8 pregnant women in the United States reports alcohol use. About 1 in 30 pregnant women in the United States reports drinking five or more drinks at one time. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born with birth defects and have disabilities. These

conditions, called fetal alcohol spec-trum disorders, or FASDs, are among the top preventable birth defects and developmental disabilities. FASDs can cause problems in how a person grows, learns, looks, and acts. FASDs can also cause birth defects of the heart, brain, and other major organs. These problems last a lifetime. There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. All drinks

100% preventable. Fetal alcohol spec-trum disorders are 100% prevent-able—if a woman does not drink alco-hol while she is pregnant. To download the free Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders fact sheet, visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/documents/FAS.pdf. To report your pregnancy or that of a covered dependent and enroll in our Better Beginnings Pregnancy Support program, contact the GBS CarePlus™ care management department toll free 800-337-4973. We are available from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Get The Low Down on High Blood PressureGet The Low Down on High Blood PressureGet The Low Down on High Blood PressureGet The Low Down on High Blood Pressure

What Every Woman Should Know About Alcohol & PregnancyWhat Every Woman Should Know About Alcohol & PregnancyWhat Every Woman Should Know About Alcohol & PregnancyWhat Every Woman Should Know About Alcohol & Pregnancy

Did You Know? Eating too much salt increases blood pres-sure? And that most of the salt in your diet comes from foods that might not even taste salty, such as breads, meats, and dairy products.

The salt shaker is not the main issue—almost 80% of salt is already in the food you buy, particularly in processed and res-taurant foods. Small changes can make a big difference in how much salt you eat. To learn more, visit http://www.cdc. gov/salt/. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Spring 2011Spring 2011Spring 2011Spring 2011 Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2Volume 9 Number 2

Normal blood pressure systolic: less than 120 mmHg and

diastolic: less than 80 mmHg

Prehypertension systolic: 120–139 mmHg or

diastolic: 80–89 mmHg

High blood pressure

systolic: 140 mmHg or higher or

diastolic: 90 mmHg or higher or

taking blood pressure medication