National Stroke Awareness Month | May 2025
- Posted by Greg Wahlstrom, MBA, HCM
- Posted in Health Observance Calendar
Hospital Leadership and Emergency Neurological Care
Published: May 4, 2025
Each May, National Stroke Awareness Month calls attention to the urgent need for fast, equitable, and coordinated stroke care across the U.S. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability, affecting nearly 800,000 Americans annually. In hospitals, executive leadership are essential in determining how quickly patients are diagnosed, triaged, and treated during stroke events. Time lost is brain lost, making response time a direct measure of hospital performance. Stroke center certifications from The Joint Commission have become essential benchmarks, but strategy must go beyond accreditation. Leaders must prioritize cross-department collaboration between neurology, emergency medicine, and radiology to streamline acute stroke protocols. Tools such as telestroke platforms, mobile stroke units, and AI-assisted CT scan triage are raising the bar for innovation. Yet, many health systems still lack standardized response metrics and equity benchmarks. For this reason, May offers a powerful opportunity for hospital boards to evaluate gaps in their stroke preparedness strategy.
Rapid response systems and clinical readiness are not just clinical concerns—they are executive priorities tied directly to quality metrics, patient outcomes, and public trust. Hospitals like Mount Sinai in New York have established dedicated acute stroke teams that activate at the moment of symptom presentation, dramatically improving outcomes and reducing disability. Executive leaders there invested in staff simulations, EHR prompts, and public education that make recognition and treatment seamless. To replicate this success, hospital executives must own stroke readiness from a systems engineering perspective. This includes making stroke drills part of hospital-wide training and ensuring imaging equipment is prioritized and prepped for rapid use. Additionally, strategic partnerships with EMS providers are crucial for pre-notification and time-to-needle optimization. Metrics like door-to-CT and door-to-tPA must be reported and reviewed at the C-suite level. Stroke outcomes can also impact hospital star ratings, value-based payments, and readmission penalties. For these reasons, stroke strategy is inseparable from long-term financial and reputational performance. Therefore, executive engagement must be embedded in every phase of stroke readiness.
Equity in stroke care continues to present challenges that demand intentional leadership intervention. Minority communities, especially Black and Hispanic populations, are at higher risk for stroke and often face delayed treatment or misdiagnosis. Hospitals that serve diverse or rural populations must address social determinants and cultural barriers head-on. Johns Hopkins Medicine has launched stroke equity initiatives that include multilingual FAST education campaigns and community-based screening events. Such programs go beyond compliance—they represent what it means to lead a health system with both precision and purpose. Leaders must also analyze their own internal disparities by reviewing stroke time metrics by zip code, race, and payer type. Stroke navigator programs and discharge planning support can close gaps in long-term outcomes for patients who often fall through the cracks. Community trust must be earned, not assumed, and hospital executives have the platform and influence to lead these conversations. Hospital-community partnerships and local advisory boards can offer lived-experience insights. This May, equity should not be a footnote in stroke campaigns—it must be central. That’s why equity in stroke care is a measure of leadership maturity.
Prevention and education are equally imperative components of a comprehensive stroke strategy. Hospital leaders have the reach and credibility to lead public-facing campaigns on risk factors like high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and inactivity. Strategic messaging campaigns should highlight the FAST acronym—Face, Arms, Speech, Time—and explain that strokes can affect anyone, including younger adults. Collaboration with primary care and wellness programs can help identify atrial fibrillation and hypertension before stroke occurs. Executive leadership must ensure these prevention efforts are aligned with the hospital’s population health goals and performance metrics. For example, blood pressure management among discharged patients should be tracked as part of long-term stroke reduction. Hospitals can also collaborate with local churches, senior centers, and employers to deliver tailored outreach. Education should extend to care partners and family members, who are often the first to recognize warning signs. Stroke may strike without warning, but with the right leadership, the response can be swift, inclusive, and life-saving. That’s why prevention is not just clinical—it’s strategic. In that sense, every hospital executive is a stroke ambassador.
As National Stroke Awareness Month unfolds, it’s clear that hospital leaders play a defining role in shaping how communities survive, recover, and prevent stroke. Beyond compliance and protocols, stroke readiness is a reflection of a health system’s operational agility, technological investment, and moral clarity. It reveals whether your hospital is built for fast action, coordinated care, and equity across all lines. Strategic planning teams must embed stroke responsiveness into capital projects, workforce development, and quality dashboards. Every delay in treatment is a leadership moment missed. May offers a timely opportunity to reexamine your hospital’s infrastructure, your board’s priorities, and your community’s expectations. Executive visibility during this observance strengthens trust with clinicians and citizens alike. Whether through speaking engagements, emergency response audits, or stroke prevention partnerships, leadership must be visible and accountable. Stroke doesn’t wait—and neither should your system’s strategy. For these reasons, May 2025 should not be observed passively—it should be led with purpose.
Discover More
Want to improve your hospital’s stroke readiness, prevention strategies, or neurology partnerships? Explore the executive resources below.
Internal Links
- Operationalizing Health Equity in 2025: Strategies for Hospital Leadership
- 2025 Healthcare Observance Strategy Calendar
