Abstract DP356: Tailored Stroke Education in a Student-Run Free Clinic

Background: Stroke disproportionately affects minority and uninsured populations, often due to delayed recognition and lack of access to healthcare. Student-run free clinics serve as critical safety nets for underserved populations, particularly uninsured individuals. This study aims to identify gaps in stroke awareness among patients at a student-run, free clinic and develop a culturally and linguistically tailored educational program to improve early symptom recognition. Methods: Between 8/2024 and 5/2025, 62 surveys (30 English, 32 Spanish) were collected assessing stroke knowledge. Survey responses were translated into English, double-blind coded, and analyzed using covariate analysis and linear regression (Python, Google Colab). Based on identified gaps, we developed educational posters and pamphlets in English and Spanish. We then delivered a bilingual educational intervention to 31 participants (12 English-speaking, 19 Spanish-speaking). Participants completed a follow-up survey to measure changes in stroke knowledge. Results: Participants had limited knowledge of stroke-induced brain cell death and often failed to recognize balance/vision changes as warning signs. Key gaps included a poor understanding of physicians' role in prevention, limited dietary risk factor knowledge, and low alcohol risk awareness in the Spanish group. After the intervention, English speakers saw dramatic improvements in recognizing vision changes (7% to 50%) and urgency in stroke response (37% to 100%). Spanish speakers showed significant gains in identifying balance (13% to 68%), vision symptoms (6% to 47%), and moderate improvements in diet/alcohol risk awareness. Neither group improved meaningfully in understanding physicians' preventive role, suggesting a need for refined messaging. Conclusion: Free clinics provide a valuable opportunity to deliver stroke education to at-risk populations. Challenges include serving a highly diverse patient population with varying levels of health literacy, as well as relying on students for implementation. Despite these barriers, our initiative demonstrates that tailored educational interventions can empower student volunteers to deliver impactful health education.