This bill will help reduce premature death and disability from stroke in several ways. First, H.R. 3658 will authorize stroke prevention and treatment education and information programs for the public and health professionals. Second, this bill strengthens and improves the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearinghouse, an important source of information on stroke incidence and outcomes. Third, H.R. 3658 authorizes grants for residency training programs and appropriate training of other health professions in emergency medicine to improve stroke and traumatic injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Finally, this bill establishes a five-year pilot project aimed at improving stroke patient outcomes by coordinating health care delivery through telehealth networks.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my distinguished colleagues, Chairman Barton, Chairman Bilirakis, and Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Brown for their leadership on this matter. I particularly want to thank Representative Capps for her hard work and dedication to the issue of stroke prevention and treatment. Representative Capps has once again demonstrated her effectiveness and tireless effort on behalf of the health of our nation. She is a thoughtful legislator and skillful negotiator and I give her much of the credit for making today possible.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.