FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: HHS Press Office Thursday, Aug. 5, 2004 (202) 690-6343 HHS ANNOUNCES INITIATIVE TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced grant of $645,013 in grant awards to Forsyth Medical Center Foundation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This grant will support a new initiative aimed at reducing the excessively high rates of stroke, stroke disabilities and stroke deaths that disproportionately occur in the southeastern region of the United States. The Secretary's Stroke Belt Elimination Initiative (SBEI) will award approximately $8 million over four years within the seven states experiencing the highest stroke death rates. In addition to Forsyth Medical Center Foundation, the other grant recipients are the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Working with other community-based organizations and health professionals, these institutions will implement and coordinate programs targeting stroke and hypertension, such as free blood pressure screenings and community-wide education campaigns. Deputy Secretary Claude Allen announced the new initiative at Forsyth Medical Center today and said, "North Carolina has suffered from the burden of stroke for far too long. Our collaboration with the Forsyth Medical Center Foundation will further efforts locally and across this region to help prevent untimely deaths and disability due to stroke." The 2001 stroke death rate for North Carolina was approximately 23 percent higher than the U.S. national average. The age-adjusted stroke death rate was about 71 stroke-deaths per 100,000 persons living in North Carolina. In 2000, there were 15,963 stroke hospitalizations among adults 65 years of age and over living in North Carolina. "Forsyth Medical Center has long been a leader in outreach programs to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve," said Sallye Liner, chief operating officer at Forsyth Medical Center. "This grant from Health and Human Services will provide crucial funding for a very broad based community initiative developed to improve access to stroke education and preventive care for a high risk group who often is not connected to traditional prevention programs." While HHS will continue its current efforts to reduce stroke
across the U.S., the SBEI is designed to reduce the overall stroke
burden among the population that lives in the seven "Stroke
Belt" states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. "Working in the African American community everyday I see what the debilitating effects of stroke can do to individuals and families," said Pastor Sir Walter Mack Jr. of Union Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. "Because our church is such an important part in the lives of our congregation, I know our participation in this outreach effort is vital to the health of our community." The overall burden of stroke in the U.S. continues to be substantial. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability among U.S. adults. On average, someone living in the US has a stroke about every 45 seconds. There are over 700,000 new strokes annually and about 29 percent of these are recurrent strokes. Over 4.8 million adults had a history of stroke in 2001. Stroke events are estimated to generate over $53.6 billion in direct and indirect costs in 2004. High blood pressure and hypertension are the leading risk factor for stroke. Over 70 percent of persons with a stroke also suffer from hypertension. Critical risk factors also include diabetes, excess weight or salt intake, physical inactivity, and smoking. Additional information on the Stroke Belt Elimination Initiative
is available at http://www.omhrc.gov/omh/whatsnew/2pgwhatsnew/funding716faq.htm. Last Updated 08/30/05 |
