State Program: Nebraska
Capacity Building

The Nebraska Health and Human Services System began receiving funds from CDC in 2000 to support a state heart disease and stroke prevention program. It also received CDC funding to implement a demonstration public health project that improves quality of care through the implementation of an Electronic Health Information System (EHIS) in Certified Rural Health Clinics (CRHC) in Nebraska.

Burden of Heart Disease and Stroke

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Nebraska, accounting for 4,242 deaths or approximately 27% of the state's deaths in 2002. (National Vital Statistics Report 2004;53(5)).

• Stroke is the third leading cause of death, accounting for 1,103 deaths or approximately 7% of the state's deaths in 2002. (National Vital Statistics Report 2004;53(5)).

• According to Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey results, adults in Nebraska reported having the following risk factors for heart disease and stroke:
  
  In 2005,
   
  • 24.5% had high blood pressure
  • 35.2% of those screened reported having high blood cholesterol

  In 2006,
   

  • 7.4% had diabetes
  • 18.7% were current smokers
  • 63.9% were overweight or obese (Body Mass Index greater than or equal to 25.0)
  • 21.0% reported no exercise in the prior 30 days

State Highlights

• The Nebraska Cardiovascular Health Program, in collaboration with various state partners, created the The Nebraska Stroke Advisory Council. The council is a coalition of stroke experts in the state who collaborate to recommend and implement key strategies to reduce the burden of stroke in Nebraska. The coalition consists of 29 members from across the state including 5 physicians. This council is in the process of forming subcommittees to address the different issues related to stroke care in Nebraska.
   
• The Nebraska Cardiovascular Health Collaborative is currently in the development phase by the program and has not yet had its inaugural meeting. The Collaborative’s function will be to guide, promote and participate in the Nebraska Heart Disease and Stroke State Plan and future revision/planning processes, and to champion a Nebraska Heart Disease and Stroke 2007-2012 State Plan.
   
• The program launched their Strike Out Stroke campaign in 2003. This campaign focuses on raising the public’s awareness and increasing their knowledge about the warning signs of stroke and the importance of calling 9–1–1. This campaign is statewide with semi-professional baseball teams as well as local youth and adult league teams participating in the campaign.
   
• Statewide Stroke Assessment was conducted by the program in conjunction with the University of Nebraska Medical Center within the acute stroke care setting. Information was collected about EMS, healthcare facilities, acute protocols and procedures, and the relationships of healthcare facilities with rehabilitation and education.
   
• Worksite heart disease and stroke educational campaigns were conducted by the program with WelCOM, Well Workplace Nebraska, and WorkWell, Nebraska’s three worksite wellness organizations. Each site secured two speakers, one for heart disease and one for stroke, to speak to their worksite wellness delegates. Presentations focused on the signs and symptoms and heart attack and stroke as well as risk factor management and control. Each site also provided the worksite wellness delegates the American Heart Association’s Stroke: Patient Education Toolkit to be used in their worksite.
   
• The Nebraska Registry Partnership (NRP) is a collaboration between the Nebraska Cardiovascular Health Program, CIMRO of Nebraska, Nebraska Office of Rural Health, and the Nebraska Diabetes Prevention and Control Program. The NRP provides funding on a tiered basis over the course of three years to certified rural health clinics to establish a diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) patient registry system.
   
• The program hosts the Nebraska Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Conference every 18 months. The conference rotates between eastern and western Nebraska. The one day multi-dimensional conference addresses topics important to all who administer services, treatment, education, and support for cardiovascular diseases.
   
• The program, in collaboration with various partners, released the Nebraska Heart Disease and Stroke State Plan in August 2007. The plan will provide guidance for the program and partners on future heart disease, stroke, and related risk factor initiatives and projects.

For more information on heart disease and stroke prevention in the state, visit the Nebraska Cardiovascular Health Program Web site at http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/cvh/.*

To view county–level data, visit our interactive map site at http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/library/maps/statemaps.htm.

 
*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
 

Page last reviewed: August 30, 2007
Page last modified: August 30, 2007
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion