[VOICEOVER] Every 40 seconds, in the U.S., someone has a stroke.
One of those people was Prince Quire, who lives in metropolitan Atlanta.
[PRINCE QUIRE] I go to work in the evening, so prior to work,
I usually go about an hour to the gym before I go to work.
And all of a sudden, I just felt dizzy,
and I started holding onto the wall, holding onto my friends.
He said, “Lift your left hand,” and I barely could move my left hand.
So they called 911 immediately.
[VOICEOVER] When the ambulance arrived, the EMTs assessed
Prince for signs and symptoms of stroke. At only 39 years old, he was younger than the
typical stroke patient, but EMTs know that a stroke can happen at any age.
[PRINCE QUIRE] And I remember the paramedics coming by, and
they said, “In able to save this guy, we have to airlift him immediately to Grady Hospital.”
[VOICEOVER] Fortunately for Prince Quire, Grady participates
in the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program, implemented by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. The program tracks and measures acute stroke care in order to
improve the quality of care, from first contact with emergency medical services to the hospital
and after the patient returns home from hospital. The program works to improve stroke care nationwide
and reduce stroke complications and deaths, particularly among those with the highest burden.
The Georgia Coverdell Stroke Registry started at Grady in 2001, with CDC funding to Emory University.
Today the program is embedded in Georgia’s public health mission.
For Grady Hospital, participating in the Coverdell Stroke Program has paid off in results.
[SHELLEY NICHOLS] I think Coverdell has been integral, really,
with changing the measures that we actually implement for our stroke patients. They have
not only given us education as stroke coordinators but helped us to develop a statewide EMS protocol.
[VOICEOVER] Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death
in the United States and a major cause of severe disability. Yet up to half of all stroke
patients don’t call 911 or use emergency medical services to get to the hospital,
even though doing so results in faster treatment and a better outcome.
The Coverdell program is working to solve this problem by strengthening partnerships
between EMS and hospitals to provide care sooner to patients. Hospitals and stroke centers
across the nation can use these same strategies to improve patient care and help save lives.
[DR. MICHAEL FRANKEL] Reducing the amount of time from when a patient
arrives to the emergency room to when they get a CT scan, when their blood work is done,
when the medication is delivered, makes a huge difference in terms of how people do.
But hospitals didn’t really know how to focus on these processes and improve that
level of care. The Coverdell Program was really about two
things and has been since its inception nearly 15 years ago. It’s about collecting data
about patients and their care and using that data to drive the process of improvement,
which means shortening those times to the CT scanner and shortening those times to treatment.
The Coverdell Program has quite literally saved lives. The data that we have shows that
mortality or death rates are less from stroke
in the communities around hospitals that provide this type of care.
[SHELLEY NICHOLS] I would absolutely encourage people to be
involved in Coverdell and in stroke care, because these patients are so vulnerable.
So to be able to help these patients is an incredible journey, really, and it does take
so many people to make this happen.
[DR. SALLYANN KING] We’re trying to prevent strokes. We are
trying to recognize strokes early, and then we’re trying to streamline the care that
people receive in order to improve the outcomes that they have, improve their quality of life,
reduce their long-term disability.
Coverdell has worked with states to improve stroke care. This accounts for over 550 hospitals
across the nation, and that means that more than 530,000 stroke patients have received
care at these hospitals, have received their acute stroke care, and have really benefited
from the quality improvement activities that Coverdell’s implemented.
And the data shows it’s working. We’re thrilled, yeah.
[VOICEOVER] But for Prince Quire, what matters most is
that he can continue to live life to the fullest, thanks to the excellent care he received and
Grady’s participation in the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program.
[PRINCE QUIRE] I want to be a spokesperson for this,
to be honest with you. Just like I got saved, I want to save other people.
I think what motivates me the most is my four kids. I want to be able to see them grow up
and go to college, have their own family—
and me passing down this eating right and healthy lifestyle
and they’re passing that on to their kids.