One of the bills passed by the General Assembly in the waning hours of the 2023 legislative session was Senate Bill 761.  This bill included numerous appointments to agencies and boards and among them was confirmation of Dr. Tim Reeder as a member of the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force.  Dr. Reeder, an emergency medicine physician at ECU in Greenville, is a current member of the NC House of Representatives and a former president of the NC Medical Society.

In 1995, the NC Medical Society partnered with the NC Hospital Association, the state’s academic medical centers and the American Cancer Society to advance legislation that created the task force.

That year, the NC General Assembly passed a bill establishing the North Carolina Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force, which was renamed in 2003 to honor the contributions of Representative Larry Justus of Hendersonville and Senator Ed Warren of Greenville.

The Task Force is comprised of clinicians, members of the General Assembly, public health leaders and other stakeholders who are committed to improving cardiovascular health. The Task Force and its Stroke Advisory Council work with stakeholders throughout the state to prevent cardiovascular disease and to promote timely diagnosis and effective treatment of acute cardiovascular events.

The NC Medical Society and the NC Neurological Society recently collaborated with the Task Force and stakeholders on stroke center designations for our state (House Bill 600).

The Task Force is comprised of 27 members.

  • Six legislators (three each recommended by the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tem of the Senate)
  • Health professionals
  • Survivors
  • Members of volunteer and governmental organizations
  • One business leader
  • One news director

The remaining three appointees are leaders within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Dr. Reeder’s term on the Task Force is effectively immediately and extends through June 2025.

Congratulations, Dr. Reeder!