The National Hauora Coalition (NHC) and Stroke Aotearoa New Zealand (SANZ) are working together to reduce strokes, improve recovery outcomes, and save lives.
Last week, the health organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop recovery pathways for whānau affected by stroke and make stroke prevention and care more equitably accessible.
Donna Kielar, the NHC Director of Nursing, says Māori experience strokes 15 years earlier than non-Māori, and high blood pressure is a critical indicator of potential strokes among Māori.
She says whānau must communicate openly about health issues and stay proactive in managing risk factors before they lead to a stroke.
“Like, really just reach out to someone, a nurse, a doctor, you know, they have pharmacists, and then make sure that if there is a plan in place that you’ve made with your rata or your doctor or your nurse practitioner, then really encouraged to kind of stick with that,” says Kielar.
Donna Kielar says the MoU focuses on improving communication and ensuring stroke-related resources are accessible to whānau Māori, who may have struggled to access them in the past.
