Congresswoman Beatty Continues Efforts to Increase Stroke Awareness, Research, and Prevention

May is National Stroke Awareness Month

WASHINGTON D.C.—This month, as millions of individuals and organizations join together to raise awareness on stroke and work to reduce the incidence of stroke, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) is spearheading the effort in Congress to increase stroke research funding and improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of stroke.

This year, Beatty—a stroke survivor—has reintroduced two pieces of legislation aimed at increasing stroke awareness; (1) H. Res. 366, which would recognize May as Stroke Awareness Month; and (2) the Return to Work Act, H.R. 2627, a bill to improve the resources and accommodations available to help stroke survivors and individuals affected by other serious health occurrences get back in the workforce.

These bills are not Beatty’s first meaningful action to address stroke. During the 115th Congress, she was the lead Democratic sponsor of the Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine (FAST) Act. The bill was signed into law as part of a broader spending package and helps stroke victims gain access to fast, high quality stroke care.

“As a stroke survivor, I understand the magnitude of this disease and its life-changing effects. Stroke touches hundreds of thousands of American families each year,” Beatty said. “As we increase awareness, we must also ensure that strokes and risk-factors are appropriately researched and funded, because stroke can strike anyone at any time.”

Currently, stroke affects 800,000 Americans and is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. In an effort to reduce these sobering statistics, Beatty, joined by 24 Members of Congress, sent a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education requesting $2.5 billion in federal funds for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders (NINDS). Housed in the National Institutes of Health, NINDS supports groundbreaking research to improve the understanding of the nervous system and harness that knowledge to reduce the effects of neurological disorders, such as stroke.

For more information on National Stroke Awareness Month, please visit the American Stroke Association’s website. Also, be sure to visit Congresswoman Beatty’s Facebook and Twitter throughout May for more stroke-related information and resources, and do not forget to join the conversation online by using #StrokeMonth.