For Healthcare Providers - March of Dimes After Stroke

After Stroke is a personalized stroke recovery program that helps survivors and their families move forward after a stroke. Our aim is to connect everyone impacted by stroke with a personal point of contact within their community who will provide them with tools, resources, programs and connections to other stroke survivors.

Created by March of Dimes Canada, the After Stroke program model puts stroke survivors and their families at the centre of all we do.

Based on the best available evidence and stroke care best practices, its development has been a collaborative effort between March of Dimes Canada, people with lived experience of stroke, health professionals, and academic experts.

Refer a Patient

Our healthcare partners

After Stroke services and programs are offered in hospital and after discharge, to complement the work of health professionals, help to optimize recovery outcomes, and give patients personalized support that helps them navigate their stroke recovery when they return home, and for the weeks, months, and years that follow.

We have formal arrangements with 29 hospitals across Canada. We work collaboratively with our partners, and are keen to expand our network.

As part of these arrangements we offer:

A hospital visiting program operated by After Stroke staff and volunteers. Peer volunteers with lived experience bring emotional support, education, and community connections to the stroke survivor and their family in the early days and weeks after stroke. (A formal agreement with your hospital is required for this program.)
Your team can refer a patient directly to After Stroke at discharge, to help ensure a seamless transition from hospital to home.
For case management and navigation services, an After Stroke Coordinator will contact the patient and their family within one to three business days of receiving the referral. Referrals can be made at any stage of the recovery journey.
After Stroke Coordinators work one-on-one with stroke survivors and their families to set personal goals, develop an individualized action plan, and connect them to programs and resources.

If you don’t already have a formal arrangement with us, please reach out, ask questions, and find out what we can do to support stroke survivors under your care.

Contact us at afterstroke@marchofdimes.ca to discuss the unique needs of your hospital or care organization, and arrange for a presentation to your stroke care teams.

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about our After Stroke program. If you have a question that isn’t covered, please reach out to us at afterstroke@marchofdimes.ca.

From hospital

If there is a formal agreement in place, the healthcare team can complete an After Stroke hospital referral form.

Health discharge documents and discharge summaries provided with the referral will help our After Stroke Coordinator prepare for contacting the client and setting up goals for the transition from hospital to home and community.

The referral form and supporting documents can be sent by email or to one of our secure fax numbers: 604-688-3660 (B.C. only) or 1-844-906-2422 (rest of Canada).

Community referrals

If your hospital does not have a formal agreement in place for After Stroke referrals, we have a separate form for self-referral, and referrals by family and friends, local health providers, and community agencies. You can complete this form online or download a PDF version.
For more information, please complete the online form or contact one of our regional offices.

We’ll provide detailed information about the After Stroke program and answer any questions you have.

We can also arrange an exploratory meeting with a presentation that explains our in-hospital peer support, our personalized case management services, and our community-based programs and peer support groups.