As ambassador, Dr. Cruz-Flores will help identify the risk factors for stroke, increase the awareness of the signs of stroke and help promote steps that can prevent stroke in the African-American community.  Dr. Cruz-Flores is board certified in neurology and a fellow of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association.  As Director of the MidAmerica Stroke Network, he was instrumental in helping SLU Hospital bring the Network to the greater St. Louis region.

 “African-Americans are at the highest risk for stroke.  Early detection and particularly prevention are important because the only good stroke is a stroke you never had,” said Salvador Cruz Flores, MD, Director of the MidAmerica Stroke Network and Director of the Souers Stroke Institute, SLU Hospital.

 Stroke is the 3^rd leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability.  According to the American Stroke Association, more than 100,000 African-Americans have a stroke each year and many don’t know that they are at risk.  As a Power to End Stroke Ambassador, Dr. Cruz-Flores joins other distinguished leaders in the fight against stroke, including the late Yolanda King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the first national Power to End Stroke Ambassador.  Through Power To End Stroke, African Americans are provided information and tools to help them to reduce their risk of stroke.

For more information and statistics about stroke, visit the American Stroke Association at www.strokeassociation.org.