New initiative to prevent, treat and beat stroke focuses on health equity, heart-brain connection

Knowledge and management of heart-related risk factors and conditions are critical in reducing the likelihood of and improving outcomes with stroke, especially across populations with health disparities. This powerful connection between heart and brain health is the target of a new initiative focused on clinical training, community and patient education, as well as diagnosis and treatment. Getting to the Heart of Stroke from the American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, with support and collaboration from HCA Healthcare, Inc., one of the nation’s leading health care providers, and the HCA Healthcare Foundation, will also include individualized health education efforts in 15 local markets across the United States.

Getting to the Heart of Stroke, developed in conjunction with HCA Healthcare and HCA Healthcare Foundation, features several efforts focused on preventing initial and recurrent strokes and improving overall stroke care by:

• Educating and deepening the collaboration between health care professionals, especially in neurology and cardiology.
• Empowering consumers to know and better manage their stroke risk, including through the use of a new stroke self-management tool, along with greater engagement with patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib) through the Association’s MyAFibExperience patient support network.
• Improving the overall health of communities by addressing disparities through local health impact work.

Getting to the Heart of Stroke focuses on education and care across medical disciplines and specialties and addresses risk factor management for people at highest risk of stroke from AFib—which is known to increase stroke risk by up to 5 times—or secondary stroke from other undiagnosed heart issues.

As part of the new initiative, American Heart Association staff and volunteer experts with support from the HCA Healthcare Foundation and HCA Healthcare community colleagues will work in 15 select communities (listed below) to implement community education. The nationwide initiative will also focus on stroke risk factor awareness and professional education projected through the lens of equitable health for all.

Working closely with healthcare professional thought leaders, including those from HCA Healthcare, the Association will also develop accredited education programming that will be available to all healthcare professionals, and a specific learning collaborative with 10 HCA Healthcare facilities focused on continuously improving the quality of care.

“We are proud to be collaborating with the American Heart Association and recognize that increased education and connectivity between our neurology and cardiology health care teams, patients and communities are integral to reducing the devastation of stroke, determining its underlying cardiac causes, such as AFib and structural heart disease and preventing another one,” said Steven Manoukian, MD, FAHA, senior vice president, HCA Healthcare. “Through this unique and multi-faceted initiative with the AHA, everyone will become better at Getting to the Heart of Stroke.”

Identifying the cause of a stroke is critical to being able to prevent a subsequent stroke.  Certain patient subsets, including Black and Hispanic/Latino populations, face additional barriers to identifying and treating stroke risk factors as well as receiving thorough assessment and treatment following stroke.

While some AFib risk factors, including uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, are more prevalent among Black people, they are less likely to be diagnosed with the condition, which may be related to race or ethnicity. Black adults also have a higher prevalence of stroke and the highest death rate from stroke compared to any other racial group[4]. Getting to the Heart of Stroke will address these disparities through local health impact work in select communities. Focus areas may include women’s health and wellbeing, high blood pressure management, nutrition security or tobacco/vaping prevention.

The local HCA Healthcare hospital systems participating in Getting to the Heart of Stroke are:

Colorado

• Denver – HealthONE

Florida

• Gainesville/Ocala – HCA Florida Healthcare
• Jacksonville – HCA Florida Healthcare
• Orlando – HCA Florida Healthcare
• Palm Beach – HCA Florida Healthcare
• St. Petersburg/Tampa – HCA Florida Healthcare

Missouri

• Kansas City – HCA Midwest Health

Nevada

• Las Vegas – Sunrise Health

North Carolina

• Asheville – Mission Health

Tennessee

• Nashville – TriStar Health

Texas

• Austin – St. David’s HealthCare
• Dallas/Fort Worth – Medical City Healthcare
• Houston/Gulf Coast – HCA Houston Healthcare
• San Antonio – Methodist Healthcare

Virginia

• Richmond – HCA Virginia Health System