From the North Carolina Stroke Association

 

WINSTON-SALEM — The North Carolina Stroke Association has awarded Vidant Beaufort Hospital in Washington a $43,000 grant as part of the association’s Time is Brain, Time for Change initiative.

The goal of the NCSA is to ensure that every North Carolinian has access to timely, state-of-the-art stroke care no matter where they happen to be, across the state. With this grant, Vidant Beaufort Hospital will fund programs required for it to become certified as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center by Joint Commission.

“We are so pleased to provide this funding to Vidant Beaufort Hospital as they advance stroke care for their patients and the larger community,” said NCSA Executive Director Beth Parks. “Although significant strides have been made in reducing the incidence and impact of stroke across our state, it remains a major health issue for North Carolina, especially in the eastern counties.”

North Carolina is one of 11 states that make up the nation’s Stroke Belt where death rates from stroke are higher than the rest of the U.S. The coastal plain of North Carolina is in the “buckle” of the belt, where the death rates from stroke can be twice as high as the national average, so the need for advanced stroke care is paramount. Currently, only seven of the 43 hospitals in North Carolina certified as Acute Stroke Ready, Advanced Primary Stroke or Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Centers are located in these eastern regions.

“Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in Beaufort and surrounding counties. This grant from the NCSA will help support our work to improve diagnosis and treatment of stroke and enhance stroke education for both our clinical staff and local emergency medical services personnel,” said Anthony Frank, MD, emergency department and stroke medical director at Vidant Beaufort Hospital.

Vidant Beaufort is the fourth hospital serving the counties of eastern North Carolina to receive a grant from NCSA’s Time is Brain, Time for Change initiative. Other area hospitals that have received NCSA grants are Vidant Edgecombe Hospital in Tarboro, Vidant Chowan Hospital in Edenton and Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie.

“Prevention, early detection and knowing the warning signs of stroke are so important for our at-risk community,” said Harvey Case, president of Vidant Beaufort Hospital. “This grant from the NCSA supports our mission and our commitment to provide high-quality stroke care throughout the region and as close to home as possible for those we serve.”