Mended Hearts participates in launch Million Hearts, a national initiative focused on the prevention of deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke

Mended Hearts participated in the launch of a new national initiative focused on the prevention of deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke.  Please find detail of the initiative below.  You will hear more about Million Hearts as the five-year campaign develops.  Links to some resources may be found in the announcement from the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) below.

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services, with several key partners, launched Million Hearts™, a five-year initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women of all races and ethnicities in the United States and costs the United States $444 billion every year in medical costs and lost productivity.

Nearly half of American adults have a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease – such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoking – yet these can be prevented or controlled by:

 

• Empowering Americans to make healthy choices, such as quitting tobacco use and reducing sodium and trans fat consumption. This can reduce the number of people who need medical treatment, such as blood pressure or cholesterol medications, to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
• Improving care for people who do need treatment by encouraging the ABCS: Aspirin for people at risk, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management and Smoking cessation.

By enlisting partners from every corner of the health sector – including federal agencies; doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals; private insurers; businesses; health advocacy groups; and community organizations – Million Hearts will create a national focus on combating heart disease and stroke.

Co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Million Hearts will focus on five pillars:

1) Prioritize focus and attention around improving clinical care of the ABCS
2) Use health information technology to facilitate improvement
3) Identify and accelerate care innovations such as team-based care
4) Foster community innovations
5) Monitor the status of clinical and community prevention rigorously

You can visit http://millionhearts.hhs.gov for more information about the initiative, including a Million Hearts overview,  Frequently Asked Questions, PowerPoint slides and  social media tools.

 

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