Health District commemorates American Heart Month
joins Million Hearts™ campaign
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 4, 2016
LAS VEGAS — Love your heart . . . love your loved ones . . .heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Nevada and across the country. To commemorate American Heart Month, the Southern Nevada Health District is joining the national Million Hearts campaign to prevent more than one million heart attacks and strokes in the United States. The Health District will launch a coordinated social media awareness campaign that will focus on ‘Better Numbers for Better Health’ that will offer information, tips and resources to promote cardiovascular health on its Get Healthy Clark County website, www.GetHealthyClarkCounty.org and in Spanish on its Viva Saludable site, www.VivaSaludable.org. Information will also be distributed on the Health District’s social media sites on Twitter, Facebook and the Get Healthy Clark County blogs.
To commemorate American Heart Month and the Million Hearts campaign, volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps will provide free blood pressure checks between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 12 and Friday, Feb. 19 at the Health District’s new public health center, located at 280 S. Decatur Blvd. The Medical Reserve Corps is a reserve of active, inactive, and retired health care professionals and others who can be rapidly mobilized to augment a medical response during an emergency or public health response.
According to the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), 38.6 percent of adults over the age of 18 reported their health care providers advised them they had high blood pressure and 30.6 percent were told they had high cholesterol. Additional information is available on the American Heart Association site, www.AmericanHeart.org and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), www.CDC.gov.
Heart disease facts:
- Approx. 610,000 people in the United States die of heart disease (about 1 in 3 deaths)
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women
- Approx. 735,000 Americans have a heart attack – 525,000 are a first heart attack
In 2015, Nevada’s heart disease-related deaths were higher than the national average, specifically, there were 274.8 cardiovascular-related deaths per 100,000 in population for Nevadans overall compared to only 250.8 of cardiovascular-related deaths per 100,000 nationally (America’s Health Ranking Report 2015).
The Division of Public and Behavioral Health developed a statewide Heart & Stroke Strategic Plan to help achieve these goals in Nevada: NV DPBH Heart & Stroke Strategic Plan Additional information is accessible on the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) Interactive Atlas, CDC Interactive Atlas Nevada.
The Million Hearts Initiative was launched in September 2011 to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. It is led by the CDC, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services and additional federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and private sector partners such as the American Heart Association and the YMCA, among others. Million Hearts brings together heart disease and stroke prevention programs, policies, and activities to raise awareness among health care providers, private-sector organizations, policymakers, and consumers about what can be done to prevent heart disease and stroke. Information about the Million Hearts initiative can be found by visiting: http://millionhearts.hhs.gov.
Heart disease and stroke are among the most preventable diseases. In the United States, the cost of all coronary heart disease is approximately $320 billion annually, according to the CDC (2015). This total includes the cost of health care services and lost productivity.
The usual suspects can help minimize the risk of developing heart disease, including quitting smoking, keeping blood pressure under control, achieving a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating a heart healthy diet, and limiting alcohol use. It is also important to keep cholesterol levels in check and to receive regular health care services especially if you have diabetes, or hypertension. Talk to your health care provider at each visit to discuss your blood pressure, cholesterol and lab test results and if they are higher than normal, ask for tips on reducing your risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.