[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8001-8005]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              STROKE TREATMENT AND ONGOING PREVENTION ACT

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 477) 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 the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 477

       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] S--STROKE EDUCATION, INFORMATION, AND DATA COLLECTION 
                                PROGRAMS

     ``SEC. [399AA] 399FF. 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] 399GG. 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

[[Page 8002]]

       ``(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] 399HH. 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] 399II. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     part $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 
     2012.''.
       (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 2008 through 2012. 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 2008 
     through 2012 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 
     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 2012.
       ``(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 2008, $13,000,000 for fiscal year 
     2009, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, $8,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2011, and $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.''.
       (b) Study; Reports.--
       (1) Final report.--Not later than March 31, 2013, 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

[[Page 8003]]

     Human Services to establish Federal standards for the 
     treatment of patients or the licensure of health care 
     professionals.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members may have 5 
legislatives days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The bill before us, H.R. 477, the Stroke Treatment and Ongoing 
Prevention Act, amends the Public Health Service Act to strengthen 
education, prevention and treatment programs to improve health outcomes 
for stroke patients. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in 
America and a major contributor to long-term disability. The American 
Heart Association reports that approximately 700,000 Americans suffer 
from a stroke each year and that more than 150,000 die annually. The 
AHA estimates that someone dies of a stroke every 3 minutes.
  H.R. 477 would authorize the Secretary of the Department of Health 
and Human Services to engage in activities designed to increase 
knowledge and awareness of stroke prevention and treatment. This 
legislation would require the Secretary to conduct educational 
campaigns, maintain a national stroke registry and establish an 
information clearinghouse related to stroke.
  The bill would authorize the Secretary to make grants to public and 
nonprofit entities for the purpose of planning, developing and 
enhancing improved residency training programs and other professional 
training for appropriate health professions in emergency medicine, 
including emergency medical service professionals, to improve stroke 
and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment and 
rehabilitation.
  Finally, the bill would authorize the Secretary to make grants to 
States and public and other private entities to make medical 
professional training programs and telehealth networks that seek to 
coordinate stroke care and improve patient outcomes.
  The legislation has 86 cosponsors and is supported by the American 
Heart Association, the American Stroke Association, the American 
Physical Therapy Association and the STOP Stroke Coalition.
  I would like to personally thank Representative Capps and 
Representative Pickering for all their hard work on this life-saving 
legislation. I particularly want to thank Representative Capps. I know 
how hard she has worked on this. I know, because of her background as a 
nurse, she brings to our attention on the subcommittee so many bills 
and so many issues that are really important. I would thank her not 
only for this bill but for so many other initiatives.
  I would urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 477.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 
477, the STOP Stroke Act. By passing this legislation, we are drawing 
attention to the dangers of stroke and heart disease. As we have 
already heard, stroke is the third leading cause of death in this 
country, preceded by cardiovascular disease and cancer, but clearly an 
important cause of death in this country. It is the most common cause 
of adult disability. As we have already heard, each year, more than 
700,000 Americans suffer stroke, and 160,000 die from stroke-related 
causes.
  It is important to increase awareness and knowledge about stroke and 
stroke prevention. One of the key components of this legislation is 
that it allows the Secretary of HHS to establish programs for education 
about stroke prevention.
  Additionally, the STOP Stroke Act provides federally funded grants to 
health care professionals at qualified entities to help educate them 
about the need for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
  Lastly, the legislation before us today includes a 5-year pilot 
program that provides grants to States and public-private entities for 
coordination of health care through telehealth networks.
  I want to thank Congresswoman Capps and Congressman Pickering for 
their work in bringing this legislation to the floor tonight. I urge my 
colleagues to support the STOP Stroke Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the sponsor of the bill, Mrs. 
Capps, such time as she may consume.
  Mrs. CAPPS. I thank my colleague from New Jersey for yielding and for 
your leadership on this and the other health bills that we have been 
dealing with lately.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Stroke Treatment and 
Ongoing Prevention Act, known as the STOP Stroke bill. I have been very 
proud to work on this legislation over several years with my colleague, 
Chip Pickering; and I am thrilled that it has come before the House 
today. I thank our staffs for all of us and those who have supported 
this legislation in the past, particularly calling to mind the groups 
that Mr. Chairman mentioned in support of the legislation, groups 
across the country made up of survivors of stroke and those who are 
very interested in what we do here today.
  It has been mentioned that stroke is the Nation's number three 
killer, a leading cause of long-term disability, and it's also known 
but not widely understood that stroke affects all age groups, not just 
the very elderly. It cuts through every socioeconomic and ethnic group. 
It really is a very significant destroyer of lives and homes and 
families, as it has such devastating results as it affects people.

                              {time}  2045

  Across this country, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds.
  In my State of California, stroke accounts for approximately 7 
percent of deaths. In 2004, that amounted to nearly 17,000 individuals. 
So many of these deaths due to stroke are preventable. Others are 
treatable.
  The staggering numbers of death and long-term disability due to 
stroke means that it is now time that we pass into law a comprehensive 
plan for preventing, for diagnosing, and for treating stroke. H.R. 477 
would accomplish this goal by authorizing the resources needed to 
implement coordinated stroke systems.
  The bill's first initiative would create a national awareness 
campaign that would educate both patients and providers. Not enough 
people know the symptoms of stroke when it impacts them.
  We must standardize prevention and early treatment in order to 
achieve real results in our fight against stroke. In order to further 
improve education about stroke prevention, diagnosis and treatment, 
this bill will authorize grants for qualified health professional 
programs so that providers are equipped with the most up-to-date 
information and technologies.
  H.R. 477 would also maintain the Paul Coverdell Registry, which 
serves as a clearinghouse of information about stroke care and best 
practices.
  And, finally, it would make up to seven grants available to conduct 
pilot projects on how we may be able to improve stroke outcomes through 
telehealth networks.
  I am very proud of this bill's comprehensive approach to improve our 
ability to manage stroke in the United States.
  Only when we tackle this disease from all angles, from prevention, 
from treatment, from coordination of care, can we really make progress. 
So I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 477. And I look 
forward to seeing it finally signed into law.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, through the course of these three bills 
being brought by the Energy and Commerce

[[Page 8004]]

Committee tonight, we have heard a number of stories. People have 
shared with us their personal stories.
  I saw on the news wires just this evening where a good friend of our 
committee, Jack Valenti, had been hospitalized with a stroke earlier 
this week.
  My own father suffered a stroke, May 23 of 1989. He, unfortunately, 
died 2 years ago this week. He spent the last 16 years of his life 
living with a disability as a result of that stroke. The day that it 
happened, he lost the ability to speak and never regained it prior to 
his death.
  Stroke treatment is so important and it has evolved over time. It 
wasn't too many years ago where it was just simply a question of being 
certain about the diagnosis, making certain the stroke patient was 
stable, and then making arrangements for their rehabilitation. But so 
much more can be done now.
  And we heard about the golden hour when talking about the trauma 
bill. Actually, for stroke victims, if treatment is rendered within the 
first 3 hours of a clot occurring, anti-clot medications, clot-busting 
medications, thrombolytic agents can be administered to restore 
significant function to that and prevent injury to that part of the 
brain that has been injured by, or been placed in jeopardy by, the 
presence of a clot.
  Other strokes are caused by bleeding and blood vessel malformations 
within the brain; and one of our colleagues in the other body, indeed, 
suffered such an injury earlier this year. The treatment is vastly 
different. Clearly, those patients should not be treated with clot-
inhibiting agents because they would be placed at greater risk.
  So the diagnosis of the type of stroke at the time of the stroke 
becomes critical, and that is where the funding placed for the 
education and the medical research becomes so important. Further, it is 
my feeling that, as time goes forward, we will indeed improve the 
ability to help individuals who have been afflicted by a stroke.
  Additionally, the bill calls for the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to establish programs educating the public about stroke 
prevention. And thanks to my good friends at mayoclinic.com, I would 
like to take just a moment to run through, to enumerate those things 
that should be done for stroke prevention. And the number one issue is, 
if a person has hypertension, that hypertension needs to be controlled. 
If a person has high cholesterol, that needs to be lowered, either by 
modifying diet, a diet low in fat or a cholesterol lowering medication 
such as a statin. No one should smoke in the United States today. If 
you are diabetic, control your blood sugar. Maintain a healthy weight. 
Exercise regularly. Avoid stress. Don't serve in Congress. Oh, that 
wasn't on the list. Avoid stress. And if you do use alcohol or illicit 
drugs, perhaps you ought to think of another activity.
  These are very commonsense recommendations. They have been developed 
by, again, our good friends at Mayo Clinic. And I urge all Americans to 
consider incorporating those into their lifestyle.
  This is important legislation. I urge my colleagues to support the 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Oregon (Ms. Hooley).
  Ms. HOOLEY. Mr. Speaker, as a strong proponent of the American Heart 
Association's GO-Red campaign aimed at educating women about heart 
disease and stroke, I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Stroke 
Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act.
  This legislation will help reduce the 150,000 deaths that occur each 
year from stroke. Every 3 minutes someone dies of a stroke according to 
the American Heart Association. To a stroke victim, delay means more 
dead brain cells. The most common type of strokes kills 1.9 million 
brain cells every minute. One study estimated that for every 12 minutes 
a stroke victim delays treatment, a pea-sized portion of the brain 
dies.
  Fortunately, educating people about when to seek treatment makes a 
difference. And I want to tell a story about a friend of mine. About 6 
months ago, young woman, she happened to have another friend visiting 
her. And she woke up one morning and said, I don't feel very good. I 
can hardly lift my arm. And her friend that was visiting said, we are 
going straight to the hospital. She is doing very well in recovery, not 
only because she is a very determined person, but she can also thank 
her friend for recognizing what was happening and getting her to a 
hospital immediately.
  By educating people about stroke symptoms and strengthening training 
programs for physicians, this legislation will save lives and limit the 
damage to stroke survivors.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 477.
  Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Stroke 
Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act.
  As the original cosponsor of the STOP Stroke Act, I would like to 
extend a special thanks to my colleague and the bill's sponsor, 
Congresswoman Capps for her tireless efforts to move this important 
legislation.
  Despite significant advances in its diagnosis, treatment, and 
prevention, stroke remains the nation's number three killer and a 
leading cause of long-term disability. An estimated 700,000 U.S. 
residents have a new or recurrent stroke each year, and about 160,000 
of them die, according to statistics compiled by the American Heart 
Association. On average, every 45 seconds, someone in the United States 
has a stroke, and someone dies of a stroke every 3 to 4 minutes. Stroke 
is the number four killer in my home state of Mississippi. In 2004, 
1,651 people in Mississippi died of stroke. Mississippi ranks first in 
the nation for the highest death rate from heart disease, stroke, and 
other cardiovascular diseases.
  Today 5.7 million Americans are stroke survivors. As many as 30 
percent of them are permanently disabled, requiring extensive and 
costly care. It is expected that stroke will cost the nation $62.7 
billion in 2007.
  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 its symptoms. Even in hospitals, stroke 
patients often do not receive the care that could save their lives. 
Rapid administration of clot-dissolving drugs dramatically improves the 
outcome of stroke, yet fewer than 3 percent of stroke patients now 
receive such medication.
  The STOP Stroke Act is a first step toward removing these barriers to 
quality stroke care, thereby saving lives and reducing disability. The 
legislation addresses a number of significant hindrances to quality 
stroke care including low public awareness, lack of necessary 
infrastructure, low awareness among medical professionals, and lack of 
adequate data collection.
  The legislation will coordinate these various components. According 
to the American Heart Association, developing coordinated systems of 
care is essential to improving prevention, treatment, and 
rehabilitation for stroke patients.
  The STOP Stroke Act authorizes a national public information campaign 
to educate the public about stroke, including 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 systems by collecting, analyzing 
and disseminating information on the efforts of other communities to 
establish similar systems.
  The STOP Stroke Act also provides grants for public and non-profit 
entities to develop and implement continuing education programs in the 
use of new diagnostic approaches, technologies, and therapies for the 
prevention and treatment of stroke. Stroke support can be delivered to 
smaller, underserved facilities by relying more heavily on innovative 
telemedicine approaches that overcome the boundaries of time and 
distance to help rural hospitals tap into otherwise unattainable 
resources.
  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

[[Page 8005]]

identify stroke centers, improve communication networks that bring 
stroke care to rural areas, and decease response time.
  The time has come for a bill such as the STOP Stroke Act. In fact, 
the time is past due. We are in a situation where stroke rates are on 
the rise, and we must 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 both Chambers to 
promptly move this legislation that has actually passed previously in 
both the House and the Senate.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
would yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 477, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________