American Heart Association applauds introduction of bill to help reduce threat of stroke, the nation's No. 3 killer

American Heart Association
Tuesday, 25 November 2003

The U.S. Senate introduced a bill late last week to address the need for greater public awareness of and more effective treatment for stroke – the nation's No. 3 killer and a leading cause of disability.

The Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act of 2003 (S. 1909, STOP Stroke Act), introduced by Sens. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., will ensure that stroke is more widely recognized by the public and treated more effectively by health care professionals. The House is expected to introduce its own version of the bill in the near future. A version of the bill was introduced in both the House and Senate during the 107th Congress and was passed unanimously by the Senate.

"The American Heart Association and its division the American Stroke Association commend Senators Cochran and Kennedy for recognizing the urgency with which stroke must be addressed and taking action to reduce the toll it takes on our nation," said Larry B. Goldstein, M.D., chair of the American Stroke Association Advisory Committee and Director of the Duke University Center for Cerebrovascular Disease. "When it comes to a stroke, time lost is brain lost. We know that improved public awareness and optimizing the organization of stroke-related care are key to improving outcomes. This bill will help improve both and it will help reduce the devastating consequences of stroke."

The STOP Stroke Act will provide resources to ensure that the public has greater awareness of the disease, that emergency medical personnel and healthcare professionals are trained to recognize its signs and symptoms, and that hospitals are equipped to provide the most effective care.

Stroke, which is caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain due to a clogged blood vessel, or by bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel, strikes about 700,000 Americans each year and nearly 170,000 die annually. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds; and every 3 minutes, someone dies from one.

"We urge the House to quickly introduce the bill and both houses to take quick action when they return from recess and pass the strongest possible bill that truly improves the way our nation's health care system deals with stroke prevention and treatment," concluded Dr. Goldstein.

For more information, or to contact American Heart Association, see their website at: www.americanheart.org