Coverdell Stroke Program
Learn to BE FAST on World Stroke Day, Oct. 29
BE FAST helps people learn to act quickly recognizing the six most common signs of a stroke:
B—Balance: Sudden loss of coordination or balance.
E—Eyes: Sudden change in vision.
F—Face: Sudden weakness on one side or facial droop.
A—Arm: Sudden arm or leg weakness or numbness.
S—Speech: Sudden slurred speech, trouble speaking, or trouble understanding speech.
T—Terrible headache: Sudden onset of a terrible headache.
Strokes can happen to anyone at any age. Knowing the warning signs of stroke and acting quickly can make a difference in the outcome.
Reduce your risk
Many strokes can be prevented. Small everyday choices can make a difference in your stroke risk and overall health.
Know the signs
Recognize the signs of a stroke and know when to call 911. Every minute matters when it comes to getting timely care.
Support in recovery
Stroke recovery looks different for everyone. Rehabilitation may include physical, occupational, cognitive, and speech therapy.
Stroke and the Wisconsin Chronic Disease Prevention Program
Stroke is a leading cause of death and long-term disability, and prevention can make a meaningful difference. Each year, stroke-related deaths and disability affect thousands of Wisconsin residents, their families, employers, and communities. More than 2,500 people died of stroke in Wisconsin in 2023, making it the fourth leading cause of death. That year, there were more than 11,000 hospitalizations in Wisconsin with stroke as the principal diagnosis.
Since 2012, Wisconsin has participated in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program, often referred to as Coverdell. Through this effort, the Wisconsin Chronic Disease Prevention Program (CDPP) partners with hospitals, emergency medical services (EMS), health care providers, and community-based organizations across the state to strengthen coordinated stroke care, promote clinical best practices, and support patient self-care and health literacy. These efforts help improve stroke awareness care and outcomes across the state.
Access Coverdell program resources and success stories
- Increase public awareness of stroke treatment and prevention
- Track, monitor, and assess clinical and social services and support needs measures and referrals across the stroke continuum of care for those who have experienced a stroke, those at the highest risk of stroke due to undiagnosed or uncontrolled hypertension, and to identify health care disparities
- Promote the implementation of a team-based care approach across the stroke continuum of care for those who have experienced a stroke and those at the highest risk of stroke, focusing on hypertension prevention, detection, control, and management through the mitigation of barriers to social services and support needs to improve outcomes
- Link individuals to community resources and clinical services to support bidirectional referrals, self-management, and lifestyle changes for those who have experienced a stroke and those at the highest risk of stroke and to mitigate barriers to social services and support needs to improve outcomes
- Public awareness—Promote messaging for stroke prevention, signs and symptoms, and the importance of calling 911.
- Partnerships—Increase and maintain multi-disciplinary partnerships. These include Stroke Coordinators of Wisconsin, the EMS Board Physician Advisory Committee, community-based organizations, and others. These partnerships guide the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program and enhance other statewide stroke efforts.
- Recruitment—Recruit and engage EMS, hospital systems, and community partners in quality improvement.
- Data infrastructure—Implement an integrated data management system. It will measure, track, and assess the quality of care.
- Data use—Increase the reliability and use of stroke data across transitions of care. This includes EMS to hospital, hospital to home, and primary care to community services.
- Quality improvement—Coordinate efforts to improve quality of stroke care.
- Sustainability—Develop a plan and/or methods to support ongoing coordinated stroke care systems.
Stroke care and community resources
Learn about the impact EMS, hospitals, stroke systems of care, and community organizations can make on improving stroke care.
Stroke Systems of Care
Find out how coordinated stroke systems of care (SSoC), from dispatch and response of EMS to transitions home, can improve stroke care.
Community-Based Organizations
Find out what community-based organizations (CBOs) partnering with the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program are doing to address stroke in Wisconsin.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Get the facts about what EMS providers across Wisconsin are doing to improve stroke care by partnering with the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program.
Hospitals
Find out what hospitals of various types and sizes are doing to improve stroke care in coordination with Wisconsin’s Coverdell Stroke Program.
Community Stroke Education
Find out how to recognize risk factors for stroke with Risk Factor Rick and the signs of a stroke with the help of BE FAST Bella.
Wisconsin Stroke Coalition
Find out more about the Wisconsin Stroke Coalition (WSC) and best practices for stroke care in Wisconsin.
Federal funding statement
This program is supported by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $666,524 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.