The health care institutions that comprise the Texas Medical Center (TMC) are not only leaders in health care provision but also leaders in health care vision. Upon review of the state and regional health statistics these institutions independently saw the need to focus efforts on stroke mortality. The individual TMC institutions called upon professional associations to begin the task of decreasing the state and regional stroke mortality rates. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) was the catalyst that brought two competing institutions together. The mutual institutional goals of decreasing stroke death rate fell in line with the ASA’s goal of reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke 25% by 2010.

For the TMC institutions, the need for collaborative efforts to tackle the regional health issue required a deviation from the standard competitive venue. The Methodist Hospital (TMH), St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (SLEH) (both JCAHO Primary Stroke Certified institutions), and the Houston affiliate of the American Stroke Association (ASA), serving as a mediator, joined together to develop a new approach for providing local health care and lay communities with resources and education regarding stroke care and program development. Within the Texas stroke belt, this off-shoot committee was named the Texas Stroke Network-Houston (TSN). Traditional rivalry was put aside to meet community needs of stroke education and professional consultation.

Historically, community educational and awareness initiatives were spearheaded by the ASA’s Operation Stroke Committee and served as the local networking avenue.