Too Many Americans Too Far from Stroke Care

A report just issued by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has found that “Forty-five percent of Americans – 135 million people — are more than an hour away from primary stroke centers, the facilities that are best equipped to care for them if they are stricken by the condition.” And, less than 25% of Americans can reach stroke care within a half hour.

When someone has a stroke (cerebral vascular accident, or CVA), the most vital part of treatment is time. The faster treatment can be given, the higher the chances of a good outcome. If patients are living an hour or more from this care, precious time is lost and many lives can’t be saved.

Using information from the United States Census Bureau, the researchers came up with the following statistics:

• 22% of Americans can reach a primary stroke center within 30 minutes
• 55% can reach a primary stroke center within one hour when ambulances are not allowed to cross state lines
• 64% of those living in the Northeast can reach a stroke center, by ground, within 60 minutes
• 61% of those in the Midwest can do the same
• 52% in the South can reach these centers by ground
• 51% in the West can reach these centers by ground
• 100% of D.C. residents could reach the centers within an hour

If air ambulances are available:

• 26% of the U.S. population could reach primary stroke centers within 30 minutes
• 79% could reach one within one hour
• The most dramatic improvement in time was in the Western U.S.: 81% would be able to reach a primary stroke center within an hour

This information is vital in planning for facilities and transportation. Of  course, transporting patients is not always a viable option, given the distances, terrain, availability of transport vehicles, and even weather conditions. This is why other issues need to be evaluated and implemented, such as

the development of inter-hospital referral networks, using telemedical technology to connect smaller or rural hospitals with guidance from specialty physicians trained in stroke care, and offering incentives for the development of stroke centers in underserved areas.

Do you know how long it would take for you to receive care if you were having a stroke?

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