Ark. Code Ann. § 20-9-1002: Findings

The General Assembly finds that:

(1) The citizens of the State of Arkansas are entitled to the maximum protection which is practicable from the effects of strokes;

(2) Each year about seven hundred thousand (700,000) Americans experience a new or recurrent stroke;

(3) On average, a stroke strikes someone every forty-five (45) seconds, and someone dies of a stroke every three and one-tenth (3.1) minutes;

(4) Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about four million seven hundred thousand (4,700,000) stroke survivors alive today;

(5) Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, causing fifty-seven and seven-tenths (57.7) deaths per one hundred thousand (100,000) population; and

(6) In Arkansas, the death rate from stroke is seventy-five and nine-tenths (75.9) per one hundred thousand (100,000), the highest in the nation.