Department a Coverdell EMS Partner
OnFocus – Effective stroke care requires coordination among many partners. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) plays a key role in these efforts. Marshfield Fire and Rescue has been recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Health Service’s Coverdell Stroke Program for becoming a Coverdell EMS Partner. EMS provides appropriate assessments and treatments that allow quicker care upon arrival at the hospital. EMS Services and hospitals that have coordinated their practices with community-based efforts have shown an improvement in their care of the acute stroke patient.
As a Coverdell EMS Partner, Marshfield Fire and Rescue will focus on efforts such as working to deliver stroke community education, reviewing internal protocols and practices, and work with local hospitals to provide evidence-based best practices care. As an example, our crews have added an additional assessment tool when evaluating stroke patients to help identify large vessel occlusions.
About the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program
In 2001, Congress directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement state-based registries that measure, track, and improve the delivery and quality of stroke care. The registry was named the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry (PCNASR) after the late U.S. Senator who suffered a fatal stroke in 2000 while serving in Congress.
In 2012, Wisconsin became one of 11 states funded to participate in the Coverdell Stroke Program. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) oversees the program. The objective of the program is to assist hospitals and emergency medical services (EMS) providers in their mission to provide the highest standard of stroke care for all residents in their communities and across the state.
In 2015, Wisconsin was fortunate to receive continued funding for an additional 5 year period. The focus of this funding is to demonstrate improvement across all stroke systems of care – from EMS response to in-patient care, prevention, and rehabilitation post-stroke care. DHS directs the grant with quality improvement and educational expertise from its partners, MetaStar and the American Heart/Stroke Association. For more information, visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/coverdell.
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