Senator Kathy Sheran (DFL-Mankato) was joined by the director of the Minnesota Stroke Registry Program, Dr. Al Tsai and Joan Somes, PhD RN, the director of the Emergency Nurses Association in committee this week to discuss the senator’s legislation to improve stroke treatment in Minnesota. The bipartisan effort will help identify hospitals that can treat stroke patients and improve a patients chance of receiving the correct treatment in a timely fashion.
“Strokes present a unique problem in the health industry, in that every second of not receiving the correct treatment, a larger portion of the brain is literally lost,” said Sen. Sheran. “This legislation creates a three-tier system that better identifies hospitals that are equipped to treat stroke patients.”
According to the American Heart Association, rural areas of Minnesota have the highest population of seniors, the group most severely impacted by stroke, but have the longest travel times to Primary Stroke Centers. The association believes that timely treatment can mean the difference between returning to work or becoming permanently disabled, living at home or living in a nursing home.
“We know that timing is everything,” said Sen. Sheran. “The faster we get people to the correct intervention the better. This legislation will help health care providers make that decision and serve as a tool to provide the correct care, quickly.”
For more information on this legislation or any other legislative concerns, Sen. Sheran’s office can be contacted at (651) 296-6153 or via email at sen.kathy.sheran@senate.mn.
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