56 hospitals in Wisconsin now registered for Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program

Madison, Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke program is proud to announce 56 hospitals have signed on as part of the program to improve care for stroke patients. This includes nearly half of all hospitals in Wisconsin, some of which are Stroke Certified, Acute Stroke Ready, Primary Stroke, and Comprehensive Stroke Centers. Coordinated efforts by these hospitals and Coverdell-participating Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will provide faster access to the necessary treatment to save lives and improve the quality of patients’ lives after experiencing a stroke.

In the United States, one adult dies every four minutes from stroke. During such an emergency, communication between EMS and hospitals is critical to patients’ quality of care and survival. Wisconsin is one of nine states funded from a five-year Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant to participate in The Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Prevention Program. This initiative is supported by hospital-based stroke coordinators in Wisconsin who collect data to help provide timely treatment for patients from EMS transport to hospital arrival, and guide quality improvement interventions for acute stroke care.

It is important to recognize the demonstrated improvements across all systems of stroke care, and decreasing door-to-needle (DTN) time is a priority focus for participating hospitals in the Coverdell program.