Disparities in outpatient and home health service utilization following stroke: results of a 9-year cohort study in Northern California.

Objective: To examine whether there are disparities in utilization of outpatient and home care services after stroke.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: The Kaiser Permanente of Northern California health care system, which provides health care for approximately 3.

Tools for developing, implementing, and evaluating state policy.

Policy can improve health by initiating changes in physical, economic, and social environments. In contrast to interventions focused on individual people, policies have the potential to affect health across populations. For this reason, the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises states funded under the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program to engage in activities supporting the development and maintenance of policies that can help reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.