[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3893-H3896]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1515
STROKE TREATMENT AND ONGOING PREVENTION ACT
Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3658) to amend the Public Health Service Act to strengthen
education, prevention, and treatment programs relating to stroke, and
for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3658
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Stroke Treatment and Ongoing
Prevention Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT REGARDING
STROKE PROGRAMS.
(a) Stroke Education and Information Programs.--Title III
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``PART R--STROKE EDUCATION, INFORMATION, AND DATA COLLECTION PROGRAMS
``SEC. 399AA. STROKE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out an
education and information campaign to promote stroke
prevention and increase the number of stroke patients who
seek immediate treatment.
``(b) Authorized Activities.--In implementing the education
and information campaign under subsection (a), the Secretary
may--
``(1) make public service announcements about the warning
signs of stroke and the importance of treating stroke as a
medical emergency;
``(2) provide education regarding ways to prevent stroke
and the effectiveness of stroke treatment; and
``(3) carry out other activities that the Secretary
determines will promote prevention practices among the
general public and increase the number of stroke patients who
seek immediate care.
``(c) Measurements.--In implementing the education and
information campaign under subsection (a), the Secretary
shall--
``(1) measure public awareness before the start of the
campaign to provide baseline data that will be used to
evaluate the effectiveness of the public awareness efforts;
``(2) establish quantitative benchmarks to measure the
impact of the campaign over time; and
``(3) measure the impact of the campaign not less than once
every 2 years or, if determined appropriate by the Secretary,
at shorter intervals.
``(d) No Duplication of Effort.--In carrying out this
section, the Secretary shall avoid duplicating existing
stroke education efforts by other Federal Government
agencies.
``(e) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the
Secretary may consult with organizations and individuals with
expertise in stroke prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and
rehabilitation.
``SEC. 399BB. PAUL COVERDELL NATIONAL ACUTE STROKE REGISTRY
AND CLEARINGHOUSE.
``The Secretary, acting through the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, shall maintain the Paul Coverdell
National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse by--
``(1) continuing to develop and collect specific data
points and appropriate benchmarks for analyzing care of acute
stroke patients;
``(2) collecting, compiling, and disseminating information
on the achievements of, and problems experienced by, State
and local agencies and private entities in developing and
implementing emergency medical systems and hospital-based
quality of care interventions; and
``(3) carrying out any other activities the Secretary
determines to be useful to maintain the Paul Coverdell
National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse to reflect
the latest advances in all forms of stroke care.
``SEC. 399CC. STROKE DEFINITION.
``For purposes of this part, the term `stroke' means a
`brain attack' in which blood flow to the brain is
interrupted or in which a blood vessel or aneurysm in the
brain breaks or ruptures.
``SEC. 399DD. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
part $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 through
2009.''.
(b) Emergency Medical Professional Development.--Section
1251 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-51) is
amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 1251. MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ADVANCED
STROKE AND TRAUMATIC INJURY TREATMENT AND
PREVENTION.
``(a) Residency and Other Professional Training.--The
Secretary may make grants to public and nonprofit entities
for the purpose of planning, developing, and enhancing
approved residency training programs and other professional
training for appropriate health professions in emergency
medicine, including emergency medical services professionals,
to improve stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis,
treatment, and rehabilitation.
``(b) Continuing Education on Stroke and Traumatic
Injury.--
``(1) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
Administration, may make grants to qualified entities for the
development and implementation of education programs for
appropriate health care professionals in the use of newly
developed diagnostic approaches, technologies, and therapies
for health professionals involved in the prevention,
diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of stroke or
traumatic injury.
``(2) Distribution of grants.--In awarding grants under
this subsection, the Secretary shall give preference to
qualified entities that will train health care professionals
that serve areas with a significant incidence of stroke or
traumatic injuries.
``(3) Application.--A qualified entity desiring a grant
under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require, including a plan
for the rigorous evaluation of activities carried out with
amounts received under the grant.
``(4) Definitions.--For purposes of this subsection:
``(A) The term `qualified entity' means a consortium of
public and private entities, such as universities, academic
medical centers, hospitals, and emergency medical systems
that are coordinating education activities among providers
serving in a variety of medical settings.
``(B) The term `stroke' means a `brain attack' in which
blood flow to the brain is interrupted or in which a blood
vessel or aneurysm in the brain breaks or ruptures.
``(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the allocation
of grants under this section, the Secretary shall submit to
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of
the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives a report on the results of
activities carried out with amounts received under this
section.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $4,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2005 through 2009. The Secretary shall
equitably allocate the funds authorized to be appropriated
under this section between efforts to address stroke and
efforts to address traumatic injury.''.
SEC. 3. PILOT PROJECT ON TELEHEALTH STROKE TREATMENT.
(a) Establishment.--Part D of title III of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended by
inserting after section 330L the following:
``SEC. 330M. TELEHEALTH STROKE TREATMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
``(a) Grants.--The Secretary may make grants to States, and
to consortia of public and private entities located in any
State that is not a grantee under this section, to conduct a
5-year pilot project over the period of fiscal years 2005
through 2009 to improve stroke patient outcomes by
coordinating health care delivery through telehealth
networks.
``(b) Administration.--The Secretary shall administer this
section through the Director of the Office for the
Advancement of Telehealth.
``(c) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, for the
purpose of better coordinating program activities, the
Secretary shall consult with--
``(1) officials responsible for other Federal programs
involving stroke research and care, including such programs
established by the Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention
Act; and
``(2) organizations and individuals with expertise in
stroke prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.
``(d) Use of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may not make a grant to a
State or a consortium under this section unless the State or
consortium agrees to use the grant for the purpose of--
``(A) identifying entities with expertise in the delivery
of high-quality stroke prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and
rehabilitation;
``(B) working with those entities to establish or improve
telehealth networks to provide stroke treatment assistance
and resources to health care professionals, hospitals, and
other individuals and entities that serve stroke patients;
``(C) informing emergency medical systems of the location
of entities identified under subparagraph (A) to facilitate
the appropriate transport of individuals with stroke
symptoms;
``(D) establishing networks to coordinate collaborative
activities for stroke prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and
rehabilitation;
``(E) improving access to high-quality stroke care,
especially for populations with a shortage of stroke care
specialists and populations with a high incidence of stroke;
and
``(F) conducting ongoing performance and quality
evaluations to identify collaborative activities that improve
clinical outcomes for stroke patients.
``(2) Establishment of consortium.--The Secretary may not
make a grant to a State under this section unless the State
agrees to establish a consortium of public and private
entities, including universities and academic medical
centers, to carry out the activities described in paragraph
(1).
``(3) Prohibition.--The Secretary may not make a grant
under this section to a State that has an existing telehealth
network that is or may be used for improving stroke
prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, or to a
[[Page H3894]]
consortium located in such a State, unless the State or
consortium agrees that--
``(A) the State or consortium will use an existing
telehealth network to achieve the purpose of the grant; and
``(B) the State or consortium will not establish a separate
network for such purpose.
``(e) Priority.--In selecting grant recipients under this
section, the Secretary shall give priority to any applicant
that submits a plan demonstrating how the applicant, and
where applicable the members of the consortium described in
subsection (d)(2), will use the grant to improve access to
high-quality stroke care for populations with shortages of
stroke-care specialists and populations with a high incidence
of stroke.
``(f) Grant Period.--The Secretary may not award a grant to
a State or a consortium under this section for any period
that--
``(1) is greater than 3 years; or
``(2) extends beyond the end of fiscal year 2009.
``(g) Restriction on Number of Grants.--In carrying out the
5-year pilot project under this section, the Secretary may
not award more than 7 grants.
``(h) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, a
State or a consortium of public and private entities shall
submit an application to the Secretary in such form, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may
require. At a minimum, the Secretary shall require each such
application to outline how the State or consortium will
establish baseline measures and benchmarks to evaluate
program outcomes.
``(i) Definition.--In this section, the term `stroke' means
a `brain attack' in which blood flow to the brain is
interrupted or in which a blood vessel or aneurysm in the
brain breaks or ruptures.
``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $13,000,000 for fiscal year
2006, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, $8,000,000 for fiscal
year 2008, and $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.''.
(b) Study; Reports.--
(1) Final report.--Not later than March 31, 2010, the
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall conduct a study
of the results of the telehealth stroke treatment grant
program under section 330M of the Public Health Service Act
(added by subsection (a)) and submit to the Congress a report
on such results that includes the following:
(A) An evaluation of the grant program outcomes, including
quantitative analysis of baseline and benchmark measures.
(B) Recommendations on how to promote stroke networks in
ways that improve access to clinical care in rural and urban
areas and reduce the incidence of stroke and the debilitating
and costly complications resulting from stroke.
(C) Recommendations on whether similar telehealth grant
programs could be used to improve patient outcomes in other
public health areas.
(2) Interim reports.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services may provide interim reports to the Congress on the
telehealth stroke treatment grant program under section 330M
of the Public Health Service Act (added by subsection (a)) at
such intervals as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize the
Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish Federal
standards for the treatment of patients or the licensure of
health care professionals.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering) and the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Brown) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering).
General Leave
Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on the
bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Mississippi?
There was no objection.
Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
As one of the sponsors of this bill and serving on the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, I would like to begin by commending all those who
have worked to bring this legislation to the House floor. I would like
to extend a special thanks to my colleague and sponsor, the gentlewoman
from California (Mrs. Capps), as well as Committee on Energy and
Commerce Chairman, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton); subcommittee
chairman, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis); subcommittee
ranking member, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), and committee
staff for their tireless efforts to move this important legislation.
As a personal point of privilege, I would like to commend my staff
Mary Mills Lane and before her Jason Dedwylder for their long and good
work on this legislation.
Despite significant advances in the diagnosis, treatment and
prevention, stroke remains the Nation's No. 3 killer and a leading
cause of long-term disability. According to the American Heart
Association, on the average every 45 seconds someone in the United
States has a stroke. Every year 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke, and
164,000 lose their lives. My home State of Mississippi ranks seventh
highest in terms of death rates from stroke. Approximately 2,000
individuals in Mississippi alone lost their lives to stroke in 2000.
Not only are individuals losing their lives, but today 4.7 million
Americans are stroke survivors, and as many as 30 percent are
permanently disabled, requiring extensive and costly care. It is
expected that strokes will cost the Nation $53.6 billion in 2004,
including $33 billion in direct costs and $20.6 billion in indirect
costs.
Prompt treatment of patients experiencing stroke can save lives and
reduce disability, yet thousands of stroke patients do not receive the
care they need.
Additionally, most Americans cannot identify the signs of stroke, and
even emergency medical technicians are often not taught how to
recognize and manage the symptoms. Even in hospitals, stroke patients
often do not receive the care that could save their lives.
The STOP Stroke Act is the first step to removing these barriers to
quality stroke care in order to save lives and reduce disability.
This legislation addresses a number of significant barriers to
quality stroke care, including low public awareness, lack of necessary
infrastructure, low awareness among medical professionals and a lack of
adequate data collection.
This bill authorizes a national public information campaign to
educate the public about stroke, how to reduce risk, recognize the
warning signs and seek emergency treatment as soon as symptoms occur.
This legislation also authorizes the Paul Coverdell Stroke Registry
and Clearinghouse to collect data about the care of acute stroke
patients and foster the development of effective stroke care systems.
The clearinghouse will serve as a resource for States seeking to
design and implement their own stroke care. It will help build systems
to collect, analyze and disseminate information and will build on the
efforts of other communities to establish similar systems.
The STOP Stroke Act will provide grants for public and nonprofit
entities to develop and implement continuing education programs and the
use of new diagnostic approaches, technologies and therapies for the
prevention and treatment of stroke.
Finally, this bill authorizes a telehealth stroke treatment pilot
project to support States' efforts to develop comprehensive networks to
improve stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. These grants
will allow States to identify stroke centers, improve communications
networks that bring stroke care to rural areas and decrease response
time.
The time has come for a bill to stop the incidences, the high rates
of stroke. This bill is past due. We are in a situation where stroke
rates are on the rise, and we must now act to address the issues that
are going to help us match resources with the growing need to prevent
and treat this devastating illness.
I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to
properly move similar legislation that previously passed by unanimous
consent in the last Congress. I urge my House colleagues to vote for
this bill.
And as a point of personal privilege, I want to commend all of this
work, my own work, to the memory of my grandparents, my mama and papa,
my papa suffered from a stroke, and all those family members all across
this country who have lost someone to a stroke and have watched their
family care and love those who have been affected. I hope that this can
help provide the resources and the information as all the country comes
together to help those, first to prevent stroke and to care for those
who have been the victims of stroke.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to myself.
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking my colleagues, the
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps),
[[Page H3895]]
who is a registered nurse and who has been a leader in this body in
health care, and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering).
Because of their leadership, we have the opportunity to pass
legislation today that can prevent disability and save lives.
I would like to commend majority counsel Cheryl Jaeger for her good
work and minority counsel John Ford for his good work on this bill.
Stroke, as we know, is the third leading cause of death in this
country and a major cause of severe, long-term disability. Though
stroke affects all kinds of Americans, stroke death rates are
substantially higher for African Americans. An effective response to
stroke, therefore, is an important opportunity to address the troubling
health disparities that we see in this country all too often. In all,
about 700,000 Americans will have a stroke this year. That is one every
45 seconds. A stroke will kill one American every 3 minutes.
Perhaps the most disheartening fact, however, is that this suffering
is largely preventable. Early detection drastically reduces the harm
from stroke. The risk of paralysis and other disabilities is reduced by
30 percent if stroke victims are detected within the first 3 hours.
Unfortunately, only 10 percent of stroke victims are treated in this
time period in part because only one of five Americans can readily
identify the symptoms of a stroke.
In a health care symptom as sophisticated as ours, as high tech as
ours, this is certainly simply not acceptable. The Stroke Treatment and
Ongoing Protection Act will provide the public with the information
necessary to recognize early signs of stroke and drastically reduce the
chance of disability or death. The bill will educate medical personnel
to help them improve their diagnosis and treatment of stroke victims,
and it will help States develop a network to improve stroke prevention
and treatment and rehabilitation.
EMTs, doctors and nurses have helped close to 5 million people
survive a stroke. A strong network of advocates led by the American
Heart Association has helped millions more take the steps necessary to
reduce their risk of having a stroke. The Stroke Treatment and Ongoing
Prevention Act would strengthen these efforts and help us fight this
debilitating and deadly disease.
I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns).
Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3658, the
Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act of 2004. Thousands of
American families have had their lives touched by the tragedy of
stroke. In July of 2000, the entire State of Georgia was affected when
we lost our senior Senator John Coverdell.
According to the American Heart Association, another American
experiences a stroke every 45 seconds. Every 45 seconds another
American faces the possibility of mental impairment, paralysis or
death. The STOP Stroke Act will establish a campaign to teach Americans
about the risk and signs of stroke so that more incidents may be
prevented and so that more victims may receive important and timely
care. This bill also recognizes the importance of our research
community and directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
assist them in their work by maintaining the Paul Coverdell National
Acute Registry and Clearinghouse with information and statistics useful
to both research and caregivers.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer my support for H.R. 3658 and I
look forward to casting my vote in favor of this legislation and of the
stroke victims both in Georgia and throughout the United States.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman
from California (Mrs. Capps).
Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown)
for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that the House of Representatives is
considering the Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act, or STOP
Stroke Act, today. As my colleague from Mississippi has just said, this
bill is past due and it is time for us to act today.
Right now stroke is the number three killer in the United States and
it is one of the major causes of serious disability. Each year more
than 700,000 Americans suffer from a stroke, as has been said, and
170,000 people die from a stroke every year.
Of national significance, nearly 4\1/2\ million Americans are stroke
survivors today, at tremendous cost personally to families, to all of
us. And as has been said, this is a very personal story. Whether it is
Senator Coverdell or my father-in-law, each of us is involved in the
story of stroke. But what makes this so heartbreaking is the fact that
many of these deaths and disabilities can be prevented with the
treatments available today.
As cochair of the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition, it is our
goal to improve that disparity. If a stroke victim can get quick
treatment within 2 to 3 hours of the onset of symptoms lives can be
saved and many disabilities can be avoided or curtailed. But fewer than
3 percent of stroke patients now receive the state of the art
medication, and only one in 10 stroke patients are monitored by a
neurologist. Sadly and tragically, most Americans cannot today identify
the signs of strokes, and many emergency room technicians are not
trained to recognize and manage its symptoms. That is why I am proud to
introduce the Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act, or STOP
Stroke Act, and I am so pleased to work with my colleague, the
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering).
I am very proud also to be associated with the work of Senator
Cochran, Senator Frist and Senator Kennedy on this important
legislation. The bill creates a stroke prevention and education
campaign. This campaign, much needed, will be a national multi-media
awareness effort to promote stroke prevention and encourage stroke
patients to seek immediate treatment. We will also establish the Paul
Coverdell Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse in the law, and this
program will collect data about care for stroke patients and foster the
development of effective stroke care systems, streamlining the response
time and the response efforts.
The bill provides for medical professional development to make sure
our health care providers are up to date on the newest and best
treatments and technologies.
And finally, the STOP Stroke Act creates a pilot program to provide
grants for Statewide stroke care systems, so that States can develop
and implement stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation systems.
The various States then would be able to use these resources to improve
telehealth programs, train emergency medical services personnel,
identify stroke care, treatment, and rehabilitation centers and create
a system to set standards of care for stroke patients and develop and
evaluate their stroke care systems.
Passing this bill will be a great step forward for stroke care in
this country. It has the potential to help millions of Americans avoid
stroke and/or better cope with its effects. It is a good example of
what bipartisan negotiation and compromise can accomplish.
I want to take a moment to thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.
Pickering) for this leadership on this issue. He and his staff have
been strong partners in this effort. I want to thank the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Barton) for his early support, as well as the former
chairman, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin), the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the ranking members, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Dingell) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) for all
their efforts on this bill's behalf.
I make a point of thanking our counsel Cheryl Jaeger on the gentleman
from Texas' (Mr. Barton) staff and counsel John Ford on the gentleman
from Michigan's (Mr. Dingell) staff, and my own staff member Jeremy
Sharp for the many hours of work put into this effort.
It is very important I believe to thank the American Heart
Association, the American Stroke Association and the many members of
the STOP Stroke Act Coalition for their efforts to get this passed. The
members are as follows:
American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
[[Page H3896]]
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American College of Chest Physicians
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Preventive Medicine
American College of Radiology
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Physical Therapy Association
American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic
Neuroradiology
American Society of Neuroradiology
Association of American Medical Colleges
Associaiton of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Program
Directors
Association of State and Territorial Directors of Health
Promotion and Public Health Education
Boston Scientific
Brain Injury Association, Inc.
Congres of Neurological Surgeons
Emergency Nurses Association
Genentech, Inc.
Johnson & Johnson
National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems
National Stroke Association
North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology
Partnership for Prevention
Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology
Stroke Belt Consortium
It underscores for us all that there is cooperation within the
constituency of health care providers and now it is time for us to
become partners in this effort.
I urge my colleagues to pass this bill and move this process forward.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3658, the
``Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act.'' Stroke is the third
leading cause of death in America and is a major contributor to long-
term disability. Timely diagnosis and treatment of strokes is crucial.
Outcomes forthose who receive care within the first few hours of a
stroke at facilities with highly trained health care professionals are
dramatically improved over those who receive treatment later. According
to the American Heart Association, approximately 700,000 Americans
suffer from stroke each year and 170,000 die from stroke.
This bill will help reduce premature death and disability from stroke
in several ways. First, H.R. 3658 will authorize stroke prevention and
treatment education and information programs for the public and health
professionals. Second, this bill strengthens and improves the Paul
Coverdell National Acute Registry and Clearinghouse, an important
source of information on sroke incidence and outcomes. Third, H.R. 3658
authories grants for residence training programs and appropriate
training of other health professions in emergency medicine to improve
stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and
rehabilitation. Finally, this bill establishes a five-year pilot
project aimed at improving stroke patient outcomes by coordinating
health care delivery through telehealth networks.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my distinguished colleagues, Chairman
Barton, Chairman Bilirakis, and Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member
Brown for their leadership on this matter. I particularly want to thank
Representative Capps for her hard work and dedication to the issue of
stroke prevention and treatment. Representative Capps has once again
demonstrated her effectiveness and tireless effort on behalf of the
health of our nation. She is a thoughtful legislator and skillful
negotiator and I give her much of the credit for making today possible.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3658, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________