Where you live impacts stroke survival

WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Where you live in the United States can help determine whether you live or die if you have a stroke, U.S. government researchers said.

The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said a significant number of Medicare beneficiaries live in counties that have no access to care or inadequate choices for emergency healthcare when they suffer a stroke.

The atlas shows that some 21 percent of counties have no hospital, 31 percent lacked a hospital with an emergency department and 77 percent did not have a hospital with neurology services.

"Examples of community conditions that can influence a person's risk for stroke include the availability of affordable healthy food, safe options for physical activity, access to high quality healthcare, and anti-smoking legislation and policies," lead author Michele Casper of the CDC said in a statement.

The report was presented in Washington at a town hall meeting held by The National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and the National Association of County and City Health Officials.