digital illustration of a silhouette of a human body with lines and dots of a polygonal-shaped brain and heart

Getting to the Heart of Stroke™

A national initiative from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, developed in conjunction with and supported by HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation, aimed at improving heart health and beating stroke.

Stroke is the No. 5 leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the U.S., despite stroke being largely preventable, treatable and beatable.

Getting to the Heart of Stroke focuses on:

  • increasing collaboration between cardiology and neurology through identifying and disseminating quality improvement best practices;
  • educating health care professionals about the latest clinical guidelines and science;
  • empowering consumers to know and better manage their risk factors; and
  • improving community awareness that stroke is largely preventable, treatable and beatable.

American Heart Association® | Getting to the Heart of Stroke™ logo lock-up

Managing My AFib

Work with your health care professional to help better manage your AFib and to reduce your risk for stroke. You might need further evaluation.

Learn about AFib

MyAFib Experience

AFib affects millions of Americans — both patients and the loved ones who care for them. Connect online with others who know what you’re going through and get the support you need.

Get AFib support

Preventing Another Stroke

About 1 in 4 strokes occur in people who have had a previous stroke. Yet up to 80% of strokes may be prevented with medication and healthy habits. Take small steps today to defeat stroke.

Take steps to defeat stroke

Be prepared. Learn and share the F.A.S.T. warning signs.

Hover—or click if you’re on your mobile—on the F.A.S.T. tiles.
Letter F
[F = FACE DROOPING] Does one side of the face droop, or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven?
letter A
[A = ARM WEAKNESS] Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
letter S
[S = SPEECH] Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue."
Letter t
[T = TIME TO CALL 911] If you have any of these symptoms or see someone else having them, call 911 immediately!
A selfie of stroke survivor, Laura Sammons, and her husband at the beach

Survivor Story: Laura Sammons

What started for Laura Sammons and her family in 2017 as a routine weekend drive in the Houston area took a treacherous turn. As she approached an intersection with a stoplight, she blanked out and had no idea how to drive.

Sammons was having a stroke. A year and a half before this, she had experienced a transient ischemic attack, or TIA,— also known as a “warning stroke.”

Read Laura’s story
'Getting to the Heart of Stroke' on a conceptual digital medical illustration background

Professional Education

Get started with webinars and podcasts aimed at increasing collaboration between cardiology and neurology, educating health care professionals, and addressing disparities in stroke risk factor diagnosis and treatment.

Watch. Learn. Listen.

HCA Healthcare and HCA Healthcare Foundation logo lock-up

HCA Healthcare and HCA Healthcare Foundation are proud to be the national sponsor of Getting to the Heart of Stroke™.