Section 31-11-110. Legislative findings

   The General Assembly finds and declares that:

   (1) The rapid identification, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke can save the lives of stroke victims and in some cases can reverse neurological damage such as paralysis and speech and language impairments, leaving stroke victims with few or no neurological deficits;

   (2) Despite significant advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention, stroke is the third leading cause of death and the biggest cause of disability in this country; an estimated 700,000 to 750,000 new and recurrent strokes occur each year in this country and with the aging of the population, the number of persons who have strokes is projected to increase;

   (3) Although new treatments are available to improve the clinical outcomes of stroke, many acute care hospitals often face challenges in obtaining staff and equipment required to optimally triage and treat stroke patients, including the provision of optimal, safe, and effective emergency care for these patients;

   (4) Although the Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry currently exists within the Department of Public Health as a program whose purpose is to increase improvement of the quality of acute stroke care through collaborative efforts with participating hospitals in this state, less than one-third of Georgia's hospitals are currently enrolled in the program. Therefore increased participation in and funding of this program in conjunction with the adherence to the tenets of this article would have profound effects on the quality of care for acute stroke victims in this state;

   (5) An effective system to support stroke survival is needed in our communities in order to treat stroke victims in a timely manner and to improve the overall treatment of stroke victims in order to increase survival and decrease the disabilities associated with stroke. There is a public health need for acute care hospitals in this state to establish stroke centers to ensure the rapid triage, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment of patients suffering a stroke;

   (6) Two levels of stroke centers should be established for the treatment of acute stroke:

      (A) Primary stroke centers should be established in as many acute care hospitals as possible to evaluate, stabilize, and provide or arrange for treatment, care, and rehabilitative services to patients diagnosed with acute stroke; and

      (B) Because access to stroke care is limited in the rural areas of the state due to the limited availability of professional specialists, high-tech imaging equipment, and transportation services, remote treatment stroke centers should be established to evaluate, stabilize, and provide treatment to patients diagnosed with acute stroke in rural portions of the state;

   (7) Coordination between primary stroke centers and remote treatment stroke centers should be encouraged through the establishment of coordinated stroke care agreements between primary stroke centers and remote treatment stroke centers; and

   (8) Therefore, it is in the best interest of the residents of this state to establish a program to identify certified stroke centers throughout the state, to provide specific patient care and support services criteria that stroke centers must meet in order to ensure that stroke patients receive safe and effective care, and to provide financial support to acute care hospitals to encourage them to develop stroke centers in all areas of the state. Further, it is in the best interest of the people of this state to modify the state's emergency medical response system to assure that stroke victims may be quickly identified and transported to and treated in facilities that have specialized programs for providing timely and effective treatment for stroke victims.

Code 1981, § 31-11-110, enacted by Ga. L. 2008, p. 1102, § 2/SB 549; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 1-4/HB 228; Ga. L. 2011, p. 705, § 6-3/HB 214.