Working to ensure the safety of community members and share life-saving health information, several Carle Health teams are pleased to be a part of the 2025 Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon Race Weekend. Each year, teams provide information on local resources and ways to identify medical emergencies. Their presence continues the dedication of Carle Health to improve the wellbeing of the communities we serve and extends our partnership with many area agencies.Arrow Ambulance was present to provide emergency medical treatment if the need arose.
“Carle Health was proud to continue our long tradition of providing medical support for the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon Race Weekend,” said Michael Smith, MD, FAEMS, associate medical director for the EMS system and medical director for the Illinois Marathon Race Weekend.
With Arrow Ambulance team members, ambulances, and the new Critical Care Transport onsite, emergency medical services were available for both spectators and race participants.
“A team of over 50 of our physicians, APP’s, nurses, medics, and EMT’s joined medical students from CIMED and nursing students from Parkland to provide medical assistance to all runners in need,” said Smith. “We are grateful that the weather was very kind to us this year. The cool temperatures led to most runners finishing their event with great times and in good health.”
In the days leading up to the weekend marathons, Carle Health also had booths stationed at the Health and Fitness Expo. These booths provided educational resources and fun activities for community members as they learned how to identify and react to medical emergencies.
With Stroke Awareness Month starting the following week, the Carle Health stroke team were at the expo to help promote BE FAST, a key for identifying the signs of a stroke, and what actions a person can take to get care immediately. The team at the expo also provided information on factors that increase the risk of stroke and how to lower those risk factors before a stroke occurs.“80 percent of strokes are preventable,” said Kristen Streeter, service line program coordinator, Clinical Outcomes, Carle Foundation Hospital. “Lifestyle changes can have an incredible impact on your risk for stroke. It’s so important to stay active to help lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease, which can increase your risk. And it’s equally important to be able to identify the signs of stroke and call for emergency medical services immediately. Quick intervention leads to better outcomes. That’s why we’re sharing information on the signs of stroke and what to do with the community.”
Carle Health team members also shared information to prevent or respond to heart attacks and other commonly occurring cardiac events.
“Events like the Race Weekend are an opportunity to share health information with the community,” said Lauren Mosely, RN, heart failure program coordinator, Cardiology Clinic.
Clinical cardiology at Carle Health provides high-quality cardiovascular care and patient-tailored testing and procedures to assist in the diagnosis and planning of treatment. And with the Advanced Heart Failure program, a multidisciplinary team of caregivers specialize in heart failure to help decrease the chances of disease progression and improve quality of life.“We're able to hand out resources and helpful information about heart health, what steps you can take to prevent a cardiac event, or what to do should you or someone you know be experiencing a cardiac emergency,” said Mosley. “And that can really improve health outcomes for our patients.”
The newly formed Children's Institute at Carle Foundation Hospital also had a presence at the Illinois Race Weekend Health and Fitness Expo. The Children's Institute at Carle Foundation Hospital offers exceptional care for children close to home in central Illinois, one of just three downstate hospitals and 11 statewide that hold the prestigious designation of Pediatric Critical Care Center.“The focus of the Children’s Institute is the health and wellbeing of children and adolescence,” said Shaylee Hayes, RN, Pediatrics manager. From routine checkups to acute illness, a network of pediatric specialists is available through the Children's Institute to meet patient healthcare needs. “It’s important that we help promote childhood health in our community. By encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle, we are promoting a healthy body and mind.”
Following the Race Weekend event, Carle Health also sponsored an Illini baseball three game series and were invited to throw out the first pitch of one of these games. At the series, the team shared stroke awareness information, tossed out stroke awareness shirts for Illini home runs, and gave out stroke awareness stress balls in the shape of brains.
A pre-game interview also played at the series with Lindy Drollinger, nurse practitioner, Carle Neuroscience Institute, who discussed the BE FAST signs of stroke while the score board showed what those signs look like.Carle Health will continue to take part in events like the Illinois Race Weekend to address the health concerns facing community members. To learn more about the community impact made by Carle Health, visit Carle.org.
Categories: Community
Tags: Ambulance, and, Arrow, Children’s, Community, Event, Heart, Illinois, Institute, Race, Stroke, Vascular, Volunteering, Weekend