The Rural Hospital Stroke Improvement Project will focus on reducing stroke morbidity and mortality through the implementation of the Brain Attack Coalition standards of care. The project will include education regarding the scientific evidence and best practices. Each participating hospital will receive one year of free access to the Get With the Guidelines online patient management tool that includes new consensus measures endorsed by the American Stroke Association, The Joint Commission and the Centers for Disease Control. In addition, the project will explore the role of the rural hospital in the movement toward a statewide Stroke System of Care.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States when considered independently from other cardiovascular disease. Approximately 700,000 Americans have a new or recurrent stroke each year. Stroke also remains a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States.
Major advances have been made during the past decade in stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Despite these improvements, significant obstacles remain in consistently translating these evidence-based standards of care into practice.
Rural Wisconsin hospitals are encouraged to participant in the Rural Hospital Stroke Improvement Project. The registration deadline is December 11, 2007. A brochure with registration information is available here. To learn more about this project, contact Dana Richardson at dirchardson@wha.org or at 608-274-1820. For registration information, contact Lisa Geishirt at lgeishirt@wha.org or at 608-274-1820.
