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Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act STOP Stroke Act (H.R. 477/S. 999) The American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, strongly supports the Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act or STOP Stroke Act. This legislation will help ensure that current and future stroke patients receive the quality, most appropriate stroke care.

FACTS/STATISTICS:
• Stroke is the nation's No. 3 killer and a leading cause of long-term disability.
• Every year, about 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke, and 160,000 of them die.
• On average, every 45 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke and someone dies of a stroke every 3 to 4 minutes.
• African Americans have almost twice the risk of first-ever stroke, compared to Caucasians.
• Today, 5.7 million Americans are stroke survivors, and as many as 30 percent of them are permanently disabled, requiring extensive and costly care.
• Death and disability from stroke are projected to nearly double by 2032.
• It is expected that stroke will cost the nation $62.7 billion in 2007. A large share of the direct cost is met by public payers such as Medicare and Medicaid.

WHAT THE BILL WOULD DO:
For several years, the STOP Stroke Act has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate. On January 16, 2007, the House legislation (H.R. 477) was re-introduced by Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Chip Pickering (R-MS). The full House of Representatives passed the STOP Stroke Act by voice vote on March 27. In the Senate, Senators Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) re-introduced the STOP Stroke Act (S. 999) on March 27. The STOP Stroke Act would help ensure that stroke is more widely recognized by the public and treated more effectively by healthcare providers by authorizing: a grant program to help states ensure that patients have access to quality stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services; a national public awareness campaign to educate the public about stroke warning signs and how stroke can be prevented; the Coverdell Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse to collect data and share best practices; and a grant program to educate medical professionals in newly developed diagnostic approaches, technologies and therapies.