Stroke Victims Benefit from Improved Emergency Medical Services – A CDC Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant Success Story

Stroke is a leading cause of death and significant disability, including paralysis, speech difficulties, and emotional problems, in the United States. Fortunately, many people can survive or recover with fewer disabilities if they get medical care soon after symptoms begin. Studies have shown that patients who come to a hospital emergency department (ED) by ambulance get treated faster.
Because more than half of all U.S. stroke patients arrive at the ED by ambulance, emergency medical services (EMS) providers can play a key role in helping people survive a stroke. In Allen County, Ohio, Dr. Valerie Lint worked for several years in the Lima Memorial Health System as assistant medical director, EMS director, and an ED physician, and her experiences motivated her to want to help. She saw that it was important to make sure that local EMS providers know how to identify stroke victims, make quick and accurate decisions about how to care for them, and get them to the hospital quickly.
Learn how the Allen County Health Department partnered with the Lima Memorial Health System to start a comprehensive training program to improve the standard of acute stroke care provided by EMS and ED staff.
Advanced Stroke Life Support Initiative
The Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant supports prevention efforts in 50 states, the District of Columbia, 8 US territories, and 2 American Indian tribes. It is managed by the Division of Population Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments. For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/phhsblockgrant.
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