Recommendations for the Establishment of Stroke Systems of Care Recommendations From the American Stroke Association’s Task Force on the Development of Stroke Systems Task

Stroke continues to be a significant cause of morbidity andmortality in the United States. Approximately 700 000 Americans have a new or recurrent stroke each year, and stroke remains the third leading cause of death in the United States when considered independently from other cardiovas-cular diseases. Stroke also remains a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States.1 Major advances have been made during the past several decades in stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Despite successes in delivering effective new therapies, significant obstacles remain in ensuring that scientific ad-vances are consistently translated into clinical practice. In many instances, these obstacles can be related to a fragmen-tation of stroke-related care caused by inadequate integration of the various facilities, agencies, and professionals that should closely collaborate in providing stroke care. There i