ATLANTA — State Representative Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) today announced that House Bill 853, the Coverdell-Murphy Act, was signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal and became effective on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. Authored by Rep. Hawkins, HB 853 will establish comprehensive stroke treatment centers throughout Georgia.
“This legislation not only establishes the comprehensive third level of stroke treatment facilities in our state, but it will also encourage Georgia hospitals to improve their stroke treatment protocols and responses,” said Rep. Hawkins. “Providing our citizens with the resources they need in their communities will literally save lives, and I know this legislation will have a positive impact on our state. This bill received strong support and endorsement from groups such as the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association, and Georgia hospitals, including Grady Memorial Hospital and Northeast Georgia Medical Center, and I thank them for their support. I would also like to thank Gov. Deal for signing this legislation into law and providing improved recovery rates and decreased mortality and disability due to strokes in the state of Georgia.”
HB 853, the Coverdell-Murphy Act, will encourage hospitals to establish comprehensive stroke centers to provide care to patients who experience complex strokes, and the Department of Public Health is authorized to establish one or more additional levels of stroke centers, in consultation with the Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry. Any hospital identified as a comprehensive or primary stroke center must be certified by a national health care accreditation body recognized by the Department of Public Health. Additionally, HB 853 promotes the establishment of remote treatment stroke centers to provide treatment to patients in rural and other underserved areas of the state, which must be certified and identified by the Department of Public Health.
For more information about HB 853, the Coverdell-Murphy Act, please click here.
Representative Lee Hawkins represents the citizens of District 27, which includes portions of Hall and White counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2012, and currently serves as the Vice Chairman on the Health & Human Services Committee. He also serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and the Insurance and Regulated Industries committees.
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