[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.

                          ____________________