At HCA Healthcare, our people-first priorities extend well beyond the walls of our facilities. We’re dedicated to serving the community through partnerships with individuals and organizations that help improve the overall health of everyone.

We show our support in many ways — from the volunteer efforts of our own HCA Healthcare colleagues to the programs coordinated and sponsored by the HCA Healthcare Foundation. Two particularly exciting initiatives with national organizations are addressing both physical and mental health in local communities.

Getting to the Heart of Stroke™, which launched in late 2022, is a powerful and unique new initiative born of a collaboration between the American Heart Association, HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for adults in America, and while stroke comes in at No. 5 on the list, the two are closely linked. Stroke is also one of the leading causes of disability in America, making the identification and prevention of a second stroke that much more imperative. Research shows that individuals with atrial fibrillation (A-fib) are at up to five times greater risk of stroke.

Getting to the Heart of Stroke™ is a multifaceted program that extends to both healthcare professionals as well as those in our communities. It includes programs to improve clinical education and enhance communication between cardiologists and neurologists. It aims to improve diagnosis, treatment and stroke prevention, as well as provide outreach to raise awareness and educate communities about risk factors and prevention.

“It was a natural fit for HCA Healthcare, a leader in healthcare, to work with a leading not-for-profit organization in the cardiovascular and stroke arenas to come together to educate our communities and healthcare providers, as well as improve patient outcomes,” says Steven Manoukian, MD, FAHA, senior vice president, HCA Healthcare.

“The American Heart Association brings its significant presence and immediate recognition in educating the general public, as well as being firmly rooted in research, science, publications and training for healthcare professionals,” he adds.

Funding from the HCA Healthcare Foundation supports the community impact initiatives and national consumer education campaign, while
HCA Healthcare medical professionals and colleagues provide clinical input, health outcomes and quality initiatives. The clinical quality portion of Getting to the Heart of Stroke™, funded by HCA Healthcare, includes making use of the immense amount of data available through the American Heart Association and its partners. The data suite, Get With The Guidelines® — Stroke, collects demographic and outcome measurement data for patients through a national registry, of which HCA Healthcare is a part.

Dr. Manoukian explains that their plan is to leverage the data in the registry for better understanding, to identify gaps and learn how to create the tools and resources to improve their performance.

“When a person suffers a stroke, they are at risk of having a second stroke, which can often be more debilitating than the first,” Dr. Manoukian says. “Many times, we aren’t able to identify the cause of the stroke, which is called cryptogenic stroke. Our hope is that the Getting to the Heart of Stroke™ collaboration with the American Heart Association will increase the teamwork and detective work by our cardiologists and neurologists, allowing us to better identify the cause of each stroke.”

Armed with that information, physicians can help patients create a plan to address those risks and work to prevent a second stroke. HCA Healthcare professionals are also working with the American Heart Association to develop accredited education programming to be made available to all health professionals.

The initiative, launched through a collaborative of 10 HCA Healthcare facilities across the country, will focus on continuously improving quality of care. The public-facing piece of the Getting to the Heart of Stroke™ program includes efforts from volunteers and staff of the American Heart Association, HCA Healthcare and HCA Healthcare Foundation colleagues to implement education programs in 15 communities (see sidebar). They empower people through educational programs about stroke risk factors, high blood pressure management, healthy nutrition and tobacco use prevention. These programs are also designed to reduce health disparities.

“Black and Hispanic/Latinx populations face additional barriers to managing stroke risk factors, and this collaboration will help reduce health disparities and resource gaps,” says Mitchell S. V. Elkind, MD, chief clinical science officer for the American Heart Association.

The national reach of the HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund has made another exciting initiative possible. This summer, the Girl Scouts of the USA will release new mental wellness programs designed for girls in fourth through 12th grades. This leading-edge curriculum is teaching participants to better understand mental wellness, and it provides them with skills to strengthen their resilience and support their peers. It’s made possible by a Healthier Tomorrow Fund grant of $1.38 million over the course of three years.

The program developed by GSUSA builds upon preexisting community partnerships across HCA Healthcare divisions, while aligning with the nationwide Girl Scout Research Institute findings about mental health stigma for girls. The objective is to spark innovation and build community relationships by aligning local engagement activities with national priority impact areas.

“The curriculum Girl Scouts of the USA is launching aligns with national community needs data around the importance of addressing adolescent mental health,” says Leah Lomotey-Nakon, manager of Strategic Initiatives and Research, HCA Healthcare Foundation.

The program has already reached almost 400 girls during its pilot period, where Girl Scouts in three councils – Girl Scouts of Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont (NC), Girl Scouts of Citrus (NFL) and Girl Scouts of Colorado (CONT) – participated in mental wellness workshops.

“Our partnership enables us to have an even greater impact on young girls,” says Alexandra Behette, director, Partnerships, Girl Scouts of the USA. “Our collaboration will help youth and adults across the country better prepare for and deal with the mental health crisis personally, as mentors and as peers.”

The curriculum, developed in collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, includes resources for girls, adult facilitation guides for troop leaders and council staff , and resources for councils and parents. Specifically designed materials target three age groups:

• Juniors, grades 4-5: Knowing My Emotions
• Cadettes, grades 6-8:
• Finding My Voice
• Seniors & Ambassadors, grades 9-12: Showing Up for Me and You

Whether through funding, clinical research or volunteer hours,
HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation are finding ways to make all communities stronger and healthier.

“It’s exciting to have this opportunity to work with organizations so well-known and well-respected as the American Heart Association and Girl Scouts (of the USA),” says Joanne Pulles, vice president of community engagement and president of the HCA Healthcare Foundation. “When HCA Healthcare works with either of these organizations, we are greater than the sum of our parts.”