Ensuring More Patients Survive Stroke

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. Appropriate care can be the difference between life and death. Through the Get Ahead of Stroke® campaign, Vanguard supports the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) efforts to ensure more patients survive and thrive after stroke. We helped SNIS launch the campaign in 2016, when only one state had appropriate protocols for stroke triage and transport. Since then, we’ve helped build public awareness through a sophisticated materials portfolio that includes a website, videos, state-by-state fact sheet series, infographics and promotional materials; integrated media outreach; and a mobile app designed for first responders. We rebranded the campaign to reinforce a key message — getting to the right place the first time — and position Comprehensive Stroke Centers as the best care option for patients experiencing a severe stroke. An effective campaign strategy has been developing partnerships with health professionals, policymakers, EMS personnel and advocacy organizations to get important perspectives and storylines about stroke experiences. Today, the campaign has motivated more than 43 states to implement lifesaving triage and transport protocols favorable to stroke patients. Efforts to educate EMS and patients about identifying and acting on stroke have produced impressive results, with 55,000+ mobile app downloads and 300 million+ media impressions.

Vanguard also serves as the agency of record for SNIS, supporting their nearly 1,500 members dedicated to excellence in comprehensive, minimally invasive care of patients with stroke, brain aneurysms, and other diseases in the head, neck and spine. We provide public relations support year-round — from media placements on innovative research for their journal to materials development, social media campaigns and webinar promotion — as well as conference support around their annual meeting each summer.