Time to Bring Telestroke to Stroke Belt’s Hospitals

stroke is the fourth leading cause of mortality and first cause of adult morbidity in the US. The burden of stroke care in the US is about $68.9 billion for 2009 (1). The prevalence and burden of stroke do not distribute evenly in different regions. The southeastern states (Stroke Belt region) have the highest rate of stroke and mortality due to the stroke (2). Therefore, there is an urgent need for more effective policies and interventions in this region to address this issue.