Heart Association launches SD stroke care improvement project with $4.4M grant

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Health care officials celebrated a charitable trust’s $4.4 million commitment Wednesday in Sioux Falls to expand and improve stroke care across South Dakota.

In 2022, cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death in South Dakota, according to the Department of Health’s vital statistics report . Stroke was the sixth leading cause of death in the state. Cardiovascular disease, including heart and stroke conditions, is the leading cause of death in the United States.

The program, called Mission: Lifeline Stroke , will be operated by the American Heart Association. The organization will collaborate with the state Department of Health, ambulance services and hospitals. The organization said a nearly $4.4 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust will provide the bulk of the $5.05 million in funding.

“Congratulations, South Dakota, on the gift you just received,” said state Department of Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt during a Wednesday press conference.

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The new program aims to improve stroke care by increasing public awareness about stroke symptoms, improving training for emergency responders and hospital staff, coordinating among statewide stroke centers, and creating a statewide data system to analyze data, identify gaps and improve care — especially in rural areas of South Dakota.

Chrissy Meyer, spokesperson for the American Heart Association, said data collections, making recommendations and setting guidelines have been part of the organization’s mission for decades. Through Mission: Lifeline, the nonprofit will “be walking alongside” the state Health Department to identify a data collection system to use statewide and better understand stroke care in South Dakota.

“Currently, each hospital is using their own system,” Meyer said. “This will allow the state to convene a centralized databank that all hospitals and health systems would contribute to.”

A key component to the new program is to implement post-acute stroke care standards in post-acute facilities. Such standards will hopefully improve patient care and outcomes and reduce risk of secondary effects from stroke, according to a press release after the conference.

The life expectancy for Americans living in rural areas is three years less than urban areas, said American Heart Association Executive Vice President Kevin Harker, speaking to the need for initiatives such as Mission: lifeline.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with corrected information regarding the leading causes of death in South Dakota.