A JOINT RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH THE STROKE SYSTEMS OF CARE STUDY COMMITTEE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A REGIONALLY ORGANIZED AND STATEWIDE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR A STROKE SYSTEMS OF CARE. Whereas, stroke is the third leading cause of death in South Carolina resulting in 2,284 deaths and 14,002 hospitalizations that cost $395.8 million in 2006; and Whereas, South Carolina is among a group of southeastern states with high stroke death rates commonly referred to as the “Stroke and Belt”; Whereas, the highest stroke rates within the State are clustered in counties along the Interstate 95 corridor, known as the buckle of the in which the African-American population is in “Stroke Belt”, excess of the and are forty-six percent more likely state’s average to die from a stroke than Caucasians in South Carolina; and Whereas, stroke does not discriminate as to age and strikes young people, including infants and children; and Whereas, South Carolina ranked fifth in stroke mortality among the states and the District of Columbia in 2005; and Whereas, urgent stroke care, inclusive of drugs that dissolve blood clots, otherwise known as thrombolytics, has been shown to improve stroke outcome; and
A JOINT RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH THE STROKE SYSTEMS OF CARE STUDY COMMITTEE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A REGIONALLY ORGANIZED AND STATEWIDE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR A STROKE SYSTEMS OF CARE. Whereas, stroke is the third leading cause of death in South Carolina resulting in 2,284 deaths and 14,002 hospitalizations that cost $395.8 million in 2006; and Whereas, South Carolina is among a group of southeastern states with high stroke death rates commonly referred to as the “Stroke Belt”; and Whereas, the highest stroke rates within the State are clustered in counties along the Interstate 95 corridor, known as the buckle of the “Stroke Belt”, in which the African-American population is in excess of the state’s average and are forty-six percent more likely to die from a stroke than Caucasians in South Carolina; and Whereas, stroke does not discriminate as to age and strikes young people, including infants and children; and Whereas, South Carolina ranked fifth in stroke mortality among the states and the District of Columbia in 2005; and Whereas, urgent stroke care, inclusive of drugs that dissolve blood clots, otherwise known as thrombolytics, has been shown to improve stroke outcome; and
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