Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program

About

 Stroke kills almost 130,000 of the 800,000 Americans who die of cardiovascular disease each year—that’s 1 out of every 19 deaths from all causes. About 25% die at the time of the stroke event or soon after. Death is not the only concern, 15%–30% remain permanently disabled and their families live with the disabling effects of stroke. Total annual stroke costs to the nation are about $38.6 billion. Transport of stroke patients to the hospital results in faster treatment, yet one-third of stroke patients do not call 9-1-1 and use EMS to get to the hospital. Gaps remain in the quality of care provided to acute stroke patients. The CDC was directed by the U.S. Congress in 2001 to implement state-based registries to measure and track acute stroke care to improve the quality of that care. Congress also named this the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry (PCNASR) in memory of Senator Paul Coverdell of Georgia, who died of a stroke in 2000 while serving in the U.S. Congress. In 2012, as the registry expanded to include more activities, CDC changed the name of the cooperative agreement to the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services was awarded a 5-year cooperative agreement from the CDC’s Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program. This grant supports state health department efforts to promote health and prevent and control chronic diseases and their risk factors.

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Aims

The goals of the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program are to develop comprehensive stroke systems. One that:

• Increases public awareness and the use of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for suspected stroke;
  
• Improves pre-hospital, acute and post-stroke patient care;
  
• Improves rehabilitation and recovery through better clinical-community linkages; and
  
• Reduces complications and early mortality through improvements in secondary prevention. 

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Expected Outcomes

The CUPH is one of the project’s evaluation partners. The CUPH team is assisting in developing the program’s evaluation plan, conducting interviews with hospital partner staff and others involved in the process of transporting stroke patients to the model hospitals and evaluating other aspects of the project’s outreach and engagement efforts. The first model hospital is in Beloit. Each year a new model hospital will be selected to join the project.
The overarching outcomes each year include:

• Updated evaluation plan
• New model hospitals
• Improved care coordination and integration

Partners

• WI Department of Health Services
• Beloit Health System
• UW Health
• Metastar

Team

Kaija Zusevics, UW-Milwaukee
Josh Lang, UW-Milwaukee
Sara Luongo, UW-Milwaukee