Garland County hospitals not a part of state stroke registry

Forty-one (41) hospitals serving Arkansans have joined a collaborative effort to reduce the devastating impact of stroke in the state.

In 2007, Arkansas ranked first in the nation for stroke mortality. Each year, more than 700,000 Americans suffer from a stroke; about 25% of them die at the time of the event or soon after, and 15%–30% of survivors remain permanently disabled.

The Arkansas Department of Health, in collaboration with the American Heart Association, is developing a stroke registry to help reduce the burden of this disease on Arkansans. The 2005 Arkansas General Assembly created the Acute Stroke Care Task Force (ASCTF) and in 2010 they received $180,000 in state funding to establish the Arkansas Stroke Registry. “This registry is a tool that will save lives and improve outcomes for survivors of stroke in Arkansas,” said Dr. Namvar Zohoori, Chair of the ASCTF. “It will allow us to better understand what we can do to reduce the stroke death rate.”

The Arkansas Stroke Registry is a database built on information from participating hospitals such as patient emergency transport, diagnosis and treatment data. The Registry uses the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® program to analyze and identify opportunities to assist hospitals in improving patient care while reducing stroke deaths and disability. In addition, data received from the Arkansas Stroke Registry will increase public awareness of stroke warning sign and symptoms as well as the importance of calling 9-1-1.

Senator Bobby L. Glover of Carlisle, AR, recalls his experience with stroke: “I’ll never forget what happened to me three years ago, when I experienced excruciating pain across my shoulder and got very sick. After being examined by a doctor I was diagnosed as having had a brain stem stroke. This experience has had a significant impact on my life; it has caused me to rethink my priorities. The stroke had affected my ability to walk, use my right hand and speak. Through physical therapy, things have greatly improved. I understand first-hand the importance of receiving quality hospital care, and the stroke registry will help optimize the quality of care Arkansans receive across the state.”

Without hospital participation, building the Arkansas Stroke Registry (ASR) would be impossible. With the assistance of the American Heart Association, the Arkansas Hospital Association and UAMS’ Center for Distance Health, SAVES Tele-Stroke Program, forty-one Arkansas hospitals have joined the Arkansas Stroke Registry since April 2011. Carol Winick, Vice President of Quality Initiatives with the American Heart Association stated: “This is one of the fastest mobilization efforts for hospitals in a state joining our Get With The Guidelines® program as part of a stroke registry. All participating hospitals should be proud of this accomplishment, and we appreciate their commitment to optimizing the quality of patient care.”

According to Dr. Paul K. Halverson, Arkansas State Health Officer: “The development of a stroke registry for Arkansas is imperative as part of a comprehensive strategy to minimize the mortality and disability of this disease in the state. We appreciate the level of commitment from hospitals serving Arkansans and for the future of this initiative.”

The hospitals participating in the Arkansas Stroke Registry include the following (counties identified in parenthesis):
Arkansas Heart Hospital (Pulaski)
Arkansas Methodist Medical Center (Greene)
Ashley County Medical Center (Ashley)
Baptist Health Medical Center – Arkadelphia (Clark)
Baptist Health Medical Center - Heber Springs (Cleburne)
Baptist Health Medical Center - Little Rock (Pulaski)
Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock (Pulaski)
Baptist Health Medical Center - Stuttgart (Arkansas)
Baxter Regional Medical Center (Baxter)
Chicot Memorial Medical Center (Chicot)
CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System (Bowie - TX)
Conway Regional Medical Center (Faulkner)
Crittenden Regional Hospital (Crittenden)
Delta Memorial Hospital (Desha)
DeWitt Hospital (Arkansas)
Drew Memorial Hospital (Drew)
Great River Medical Center (Mississippi)
Jefferson Regional Medical Center (Jefferson)
Johnson Regional Medical Center (Johnson)
Lawrence Memorial Hospital (Lawrence)
Magnolia Regional Medical Center (Columbia)
McGehee Hospital (Desha)
Medical Center of South Arkansas (Union)
Mercy Hospital Scott County (Scott)
Mercy Ozark (Franklin)
North Logan Mercy Hospital (Logan)
Northwest Medical Center - Bentonville (Benton)
Northwest Medical Center – Springdale (Washington)
Ozark Health Medical Center (Van Buren)
Piggott Community Hospital (Clay)
Saline Memorial Hospital (Saline)
SMC Regional Medical Center (Mississippi)
Sparks Health System (Sebastian)
St. Bernards Medical Center (Craighead)
St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center (Pulaski)
St. Vincent Medical Center / North (Pulaski)
St. Vincent Morrilton (Conway)
Summit Medical Center (Crawford)
UAMS Medical Center (Pulaski)
White County Medical Center (White)
White River Medical Center (Independence)