NORTH FLORIDA FOCUS AUGUST 23-24, 2006, PAGE 9C If stroke attacks, act FAST The nation's emergency physicians want to remind Americans to act FAST if they think they are or some- one near them is having a stroke, otherwise known as a brain attack. Time lost is brain lost: A one-minute de- lay could cost you two mil- lion brain cells. Knowing stroke's symptoms and act- ing fast can make the differ- ence between life and death, for you or someone you know. Remember the acronym FAST for the most common stroke symptoms: F for Face: Weakness or a drooping, crooked smile; sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes A for Arms: Weak or drooping arm S for Speech: Slurred speech, or inability to un- derstand or be understood, inability to speak T for Time: Time = Brain. Call 9-1-1 immediately. Poster celebrates 25 years of excellence GAINESVILLE-For now, only Miriam Novack has the pleasure of viewing the 25th Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show's poster image: it's hanging on her living room wall. The 25th Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show's commemorative poster is a fusion of dramatic colors, eye-catching shapes and unique styles that represent the festival's 25 years of excellence in fine art, music and food. Novack's art has been showcased at hun- dreds of outdoor, art festivals since 1979' She has worked with several mediums including sculpture, ceramics and painting. Commemorative T-shirts and posters will be sold at this year's show. The 25th Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show will be held on Nov. 4 and 5. Come celebrate the arts and join us for a weekend full of fiun for the entire family. The Festival is free and open to Ihe public from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. all weekend. For more information, contact the City of Gajnesville's Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs at 352-334-ARTS or visit w ww.gvlculruralaffairs.org. Almost half of all stroke patients arrive at the ER by their own means. Dr. Ed- ward C. Jauch, Associate Director of Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, strongly advises against it. He says, "If you or someone near you is ex- hibiting any sign of stroke, call 911: Transport by an ambulance is best for get- ting. to the ER. Patients ar- riving by ambulance receive faster evaluation by ER staff and physicians, and undergo CAT scans faster upon ar- rival at the ER. In addition, the EMS personnel can mo- bilize resources-such as CAT scan and Stroke Teams-at the hospital ahead of the patient's arrival. If you arrive on foot, you may lose precious time waiting to be seen. Remember: time=brain. " ' Stroke afflicts 700,000 people per year in this coun- try, killing 157,000 of them. Stroke is also a leading cause of long-term disabili- ty, and the longer you wait to get help, the higher your risk of permanent disability. Stroke does not discrimi- nate, and although some people are at higher risk than others due to lifestyle and family history, anyone can have a stroke. Treatable risk factors include: hyper- tension, diabetes, high cho- lesterol and heart problems. People often wait to see if their symptoms will: go away and unwittingly put themselves in greater dan- ger. Symptoms that last for only a few minutes and then subside may indicate a tran- sient ischemic attack (TIA). TIAs are serious medical events and require treat- ment; they are also a poten- tial warning sign of more dangerous stroke in the fu- ture. Seeking medical care 'during a TIA may help physicians prevent future stroke If you are having a stroke, you may not be able to com- municate what is happening in order to get help. There- fore it is essential that everyone recognize the symptoms of stroke. If someone near you is experi- encing stroke symptoms, call 9-1-1 or your local Emergency Medical Ser- vices number FAST. You could just save a life. ACEP is a national med- ical specialty society repre- senting emergency medicine with more than 23,000 members. ACEP is commit- ted to advancing emergency care through continuing ed- ucation, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Colum- bia. A Government Services Chapter represents emer- gency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies. For more information, visit www.acep.org. Hurricane insurance fraud The Florida Department of vices, Financial Services announced Fraud recently the arrests of two li- "Ins censed public adjusters who higher fraudulently collected more which than $400,000 from two in- the po surance companies by sub- Depar emitting bogus contractor vices agreements. The arrests were Tom ( made by detectives in the De- the d apartment of Financial Ser- contain -- =MIR Division of Insurance surance .fraud leads to r insurance premiums hit every Floridian in ocketbook," said Florida tment of Financial Ser- Chief Financial Officer Gallagher, who oversees Department. "We will .ue to follow every lead C" a- .-!.w C-,P -U regarding possible fraudulent activity and send a strong message that such abuse of our citizens will not be toler- ated." Jose Manuel Soler and Ariel L. Fernandez, of Coast to Coast Public Adjusters, al- legedly submitted approxi- mately 75 forged contractor agreements, resulting in an overpayment by Citizens In- surance of approximately $314,596.54. Detectives said an additional 29 such docu- ments were submitted to the Tower Hill Group resulting in a loss of approximately $125,281.81. Detectives said the forged contractor agreements were submitted in order to obtain an additional 20 percent of the estimated claim for over- head and profit. The fraudu- lent contractor agreements stemmed from real claims for water pipe damage. Follow- ing each storm in 2004 and 2005, the Department of Fi- nancial Services capped pub- lic adjusters fees that could be charged to storm victims and implemented a 14-day period for victims, to rescind public adjuster contracts without a penalty. Both Soler and Fernandez surrendered on the charges recently and were incarcerat- brings ed in the Miami-Dade County Jail. Each was charged with 104 counts of insurance fraud (third degree), 104 counts of grand theft (third degree) and one count of organized scheme to defraud (first de- gree) each. Bail was expected to be set at $1,050,000. Addi- tional arrests are anticipated. The Department of Finan-, cial Services, Division of In- surance Fraud, investigates fraud in all types of insur- ance, including health, life, auto, property and workers' compensation. To report in- formation about this case or any other possible insurance fraud case, call the depart- arrests ment's Fraud Fighters hotline toll-free at 800-378-0445. A reward of up to $25,000 may be offered for information leading to a conviction. As a statewide elected offi- cer of the Florida Cabinet, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher oversees the De- partment of Financial Ser- vices, a multi-division state agency responsible for man- agement of state funds and unclaimed property, 'assisting consumers 'who request infor- mation and help related to fi- nancial services, and investi- -gating financial fraud. Gal- lagher' also serves as the State Fire Marshal. '"[Mf Summer CD Specials! APY 22 Mtl. CD0 5.59% Interest Rate 11 MoilCD 550% 5A55 I; t Rate 5.65 n- An 5.45% PY Interest Rate, 5 *Limited time offer. *Min. $5,000 Deposit is Required Min. Balance to obtain APY is $5,000 A Convenient Lake Park Location To Serve Florida Residentsl 1012 Lake Boulevard Lake Park, GA 31636 wwwpakav an 229-559-7056 w.ariaelbankLCom *The Annual percentage yield (APY) listed above is based on the assumption that all interest remains on deposit until maturity. Withdrawal of interest before maturity will reduce the APY. 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