The NC Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Branch was awarded comprehensive funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement a state-based cardiovascular health program.
The CDC-funded NC HDSP Program focused on systems-level change to create health promotion and cardiovascular disease prevention. Because of the complexity and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors, no single program working alone could make a difference.
The NC HDSP Program sought to work with multiple partner organizations – both public and private – in settings across the state to address chain of survival issues and secondary prevention with a focus on the ABCS (Aspirin Therapy, Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Control, Smoking Cessation, and reduced Sodium intake); while supporting collaboration with other NC Chronic Disease and Injury Section Branch-funded efforts in addressing physical activity, unhealthy eating, tobacco use, diabetes, and overweight/obesity, as well as emergency response and acute health care systems for heart attack and stroke.
The NC HDSP Program identified African Americans as a priority population because health surveillance data showed that this group bears a disproportionate burden in terms of heart disease and stroke death rates and risk factors in NC.
Four regions in NC were supported by HDSP Regional Coordinators, including Northeastern and Eastern NC. The Northeast NC HDSP Program Regional Coordinator worked closely with the Eastern Regional Coordinator of the Program to manage the Eastern NC Stroke Network (ENCSN). Anyone who is a stroke champion was able to become a member. There were approximately 500 members of the ENCSN representing 30 eastern NC counties.
The vision of ENCSN was to be recognized as a leading resource for voluntary collaboration on stroke best practices in eastern NC communities. The mission of ENCSN was to improve the prevention, treatment, and quality of stroke care in eastern NC through a coordinated regional system.