The American Stroke Association focuses on reducing disability and death from stroke through research, education, fund raising and advocacy. The American Heart Association created the American Stroke Association as a division after many years of increasing emphasis on stroke. The association spends more money on stroke research and programs than any other organization except the federal government.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds. Someone dies of a stroke every 3 minutes.
You can find out more information about the American Stroke Association by calling 1-888-4-STROKE or by visiting StrokeAssociation.org
Our accomplishments in stroke:
- During fiscal year 2005–06, the American Stroke Association spent almost $157 million on all stroke efforts.
- We have a major quality improvement program in the hospital setting called Get With The Guidelines/Stroke to provide tools for physicians to care for stroke patients according to our scientific guidelines.
- Our annual International Stroke Conference draws more than 2,500 healthcare professionals to present the latest in emerging science in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of stroke, and our journal Stroke remains the premier stroke publication for scientists, researchers and clinicians.
- We have formalized relationships with major governmental agencies and professional organizations interested in stroke, to leverage resources and work together on this challenging public health problem.
- We work with national accrediting groups to drive systems changes in the treatment of stroke in the inpatient and outpatient setting, helping to set the scientific standards by which hospitals and physicians practice.
- We provide outreach to stroke survivors and caregivers through our national call center (staffed by survivors and caregivers), support group registry and Stroke Connection magazine, which has more than 90,000 subscribers.
- We communicate with professionals and alliances interested in American Stroke Association activities through an electronic newsletter that reaches more than 5,400 professionals monthly.
- Our Office of Public Advocacy and Office of State Advocacy work tirelessly on federal and state legislation to improve care for stroke. A recent poll demonstrated that staff on Capitol Hill trusts the American Stroke Association as the “go to” organization for stroke information. Our advocacy staff also leads a coalition of national organizations dedicated to passing the STOP Stroke Act, the first federal stroke legislation of its kind.
- Our satellite broadcasts are viewed by 4,000-8,000 healthcare professionals at a time through satellite TV networks in hospitals across the United States. We extend the educational opportunities of these programs by developing and distributing CD-ROMs, videocassettes or audiocassettes to thousands of additional healthcare professionals following each broadcast.
- We develop educational tools and resources for healthcare professionals, public health departments, survivors and the general public.
- Because we are an integrated division, we leverage the infrastructure and expertise of the American Heart Association, allowing us to focus on changing the healthcare environment to improve stroke care by:
- Advocating for widespread systems change
Educating professionals and consumers about the nation's third leading cause of death
Related AHA and ASA publications:
Stroke Family Support Network Packets
- Resources for explaining changes after a stroke
- Introductory information for stroke families
- Resources for stroke family caregivers
- Resources for communication challenges after a stroke
