Westchester County Health Committee Meeting: World Stroke Awareness Day, October 28, 2026

The Health Committee of the Westchester County Board of Legislators convened on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 11:14 AM in the Committee Room at the Michaelian Office Building, 148 Martine Avenue, White Plains, NY. Chair Jewel Williams Johnson presided (the transcript renders her name as "Joel Williams Johnson"), with Vice Chair Nancy Barr, and Legislator Emiljana Ulaj participating remotely from Tarrytown. The meeting was held on the eve of World Stroke Awareness Day and featured stroke education presentations. It adjourned at 12:22 PM.

Consent Calendar

• The agenda listed approval of minutes from eight prior Health Committee meetings: May 13, June 29, July 27, August 5, August 26, September 16, October 7, and October 21, 2026. The transcript reflects no discussion or vote on these minutes; the meeting proceeded directly to the World Stroke Awareness Day program. (The agenda and transcript conflict as to whether minutes approval occurred.)

Discussion Items

• Dr. Patrick Thomas (Cardiologist, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell; District 9 resident from Portland Manor; operator of a paramedic company in Cortlandt and Peekskill) presented stroke basics: a stroke is destruction of brain tissue ("brain attack"), with about 70% of strokes caused by atherosclerotic plaque buildup that begins forming as early as the preteen years.
• Statistics presented by Dr. Thomas: stroke is the number four cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.; women have more strokes than men and die more from their strokes; twice as many women die annually from stroke as from breast cancer; and Black adults have stroke rates double those of white and Hispanic adults, largely attributed to uncontrolled high blood pressure.
• Dr. Thomas reviewed the B.E. F.A.S.T. warning signs (Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, Time) and the American Heart Association's "Life's Essential 8" risk factors: high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, smoking/nicotine use (including vaping, pouches, and cannabis), physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, obesity, and poor sleep — plus atrial fibrillation (AFib), a unique stroke risk factor linked to about one-third of strokes. He recommended the Mediterranean diet, 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise (30 minutes, five days per week, evenly spaced), home blood pressure monitoring, and avoiding smoking/vaping; he stated nicotine replacement gum and patches carry dramatically lower risk than smoking.
• Tania Saiz (agenda: "Tania Saiz"; transcript: "Tanya Saez"/"Saees"), Creator of Stroke Maven, shared her lived experience of a stroke at age 47 on August 8, 2020, in Boulder, CO. Paramedics attributed her symptoms to a panic attack and discouraged her 19-year-old daughter from accompanying her in the ambulance. She arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after symptom onset, but the stroke was not recognized for about three and a half hours. She underwent four failed thrombectomy attempts, spent 20 days hospitalized (including an ICU stay for a hemorrhagic conversion/brain bleed), then 10 days in acute rehab and about a year of outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy three days per week.
• Ms. Saiz described post-stroke invisible disabilities, including left-side sensory loss that went untreated for years, visual processing issues, and difficulty being believed by providers because she appeared "high functioning." She is a patient member of an American Heart Association guideline writing committee, a nominee for AHA Leaders of Impact, and founded the Stroke Maven website to connect survivors with resources. She expressed hope that Westchester County would become a place where stroke awareness, prevention, and survivor support are visible, ongoing priorities — creating an accessible wayfinding system connecting hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and nonprofits.
• Ms. Saiz cited research that pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia increase a woman's risk of stroke before age 50 by 40%, and noted recent American Heart Association publications calling for cardiovascular health dialogue across all female life stages (menarche through post-menopause).
• White Plains City Councilwoman Edwin Santiangas (as transcribed) voiced support for Ms. Saiz, stated she knows three people who had strokes under age 60, and sought education on stroke disparities among people of color.
• Councilwoman Santiangas recounted a constituent, a woman of about 70, who suffered multiple mini strokes (TIAs) and then, during a stroke, drove onto a highway the wrong way at night. Dr. Thomas explained that TIAs are temporary arterial blockages causing no permanent brain damage, are undetectable on CT/MRI, and serve as "warning shots" that warrant aggressive treatment (antiplatelet therapy, imaging of neck and brain plaque, and aggressive blood pressure and cholesterol management). He advised: "If you see something, say something" — seek evaluation for any transient change in function or behavior.
• Dr. Reena Agarwal (Westchester County Department of Health; former primary care physician of 20 years) emphasized prevention and patient self-advocacy within the constraints of 15-minute primary care visits. She highlighted "clinical inertia" (accepting "good enough" blood pressure control), the importance of knowing home blood pressure numbers, and community-level prevention such as safe walkable spaces, access to healthy food, and reducing salt in prepared and restaurant foods.
• Dr. Thomas discussed "white coat hypertension," noting hypertension is the single biggest controllable risk factor for stroke — a "silent killer" — and that for complex patients (e.g., those with kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplant), the norm is frequent medication adjustment and monitoring, though staying on a long-term stable medication is not wrong in and of itself when blood pressure is well controlled.
• On hormone replacement therapy (HRT), Dr. Thomas explained that 1990s practice prescribed HRT broadly based on preliminary cardiovascular benefit, but a definitive study in older post-menopausal women (10+ years post-menopause, with existing heart disease) found HRT caused more heart attacks and strokes than it prevented. Current data suggest HRT is safe, but not necessarily protective, for early post-menopausal women without a history of heart disease or stroke.
• Dr. Thomas reported that his paramedic company responded this year to an 11-year-old girl who suffered a stroke during a snowstorm; her mother, a nurse practitioner, recognized the symptoms, the child received timely clot removal, and she made a full recovery — illustrating that stroke can occur even in pre-menstrual age groups.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken; the meeting was informational and educational in recognition of World Stroke Awareness Day.
• Chair Williams Johnson stated that the meeting video and materials would be shared publicly and encouraged residents to watch the full recording.
• Ms. Saiz's request — for Westchester to establish a visible, ongoing stroke awareness and survivor-support infrastructure connecting hospitals, rehabilitation providers, and nonprofits — was received favorably by committee members; no formal referral or directive was made.
• The meeting was adjourned at 12:22 PM.