From American Heart Association, this month's Get Involved Spotlight nonprofit:
GO RED FOR WOMEN®
More women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined. Currently, some eight million women in the U.S. are living with heart disease, yet only one in six American women believes that heart disease is her greatest health threat. The Go Red For Women movement celebrates the energy, passion and power of women to band together to wipe out heart disease and stroke. We provide education, information and motivation, saving thousands of lives every year. | www.GoRedForWomen.org
POWER TO END STROKE®
The burden of stroke is greater among African Americans than in any other group. In fact, blacks have almost twice the risk of first-ever stroke compared with whites, and blacks 35-54 years old have four times the relative risk for stroke. Power to End Stroke is an education and awareness campaign embracing and celebrating the culture, energy, creativity and lifestyles of African Americans. Our goal? Help make an impact on the high incidence of stroke within these communities. | www.PowerToEndStroke.org
MY HEART. MY LIFE.TM
Our My Heart. My Life. initiative focuses on creating healthy lifestyles through a range of education, advocacy and community efforts that reinforce the value of eating well and being physically active. This includes encouraging people to participate in over 350 Heart Walks across the country, share physical activities through our Start! Walking Path online/mobile tool, take part in one of our Simple Cooking programs, or help start a teaching garden or community kitchen. | www.heart.org/MyHeartMyLife.
YOU’RE THE CURETM
Our You’re the Cure advocates are the moving force behind policy change at the local, state and national levels for the AHA/ASA. Through emails, phone calls, letters to the editor, press events and face-to-face meetings with decision makers, You’re the Cure advocates directly influence policy and improve the quality of life for not only their family members, friends and neighbors, but also for all of our fellow Americans. | www.YoureTheCure.org
JUMP ROPE FOR HEARTSM / HOOPS FOR HEART®
Since 1978, Jump Rope for Heart, an educational and fundraising program for elementary school students, has raised more than $760 million and helped generations of kids learn jump rope skills, community responsibility and how to keep hearts healthy. Over the past 17 years, Hoops for Heart, our program using basketball skills to engage and teach middle school students, has raised more than $58 million. | www.heart.org/Jump or www.heart.org/Hoops
GET WITH THE GUIDELINES®
Our Get With the Guidelines programs help ensure hospitals are reliably applying the most recent AHA scientific guidelines which are designed to ensure every patient gets the right care every time. Healthcare systems, hospitals, hospital teams, and physician practices that provide consistent evidence based care and demonstrate required compliance earn awards in four areas, as well as hospital certifications and accreditations. | www.heart.org/GetWithTheGuidelines
MISSION: LIFELINE®
We launched our nationwide initiative Mission: Lifeline to improve treatment for victims of what’s called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI. When someone has this kind of heart attack, blood flow to a portion of the heart is completely blocked, and immediate treatment is critical to survival. The goal of Mission: Lifeline is to decrease STEMI deaths and improve the quality of care for all survivors. | www.heart.org/MissionLifeline
CPR ANYTIMETM / HANDS-ONLY CPRTM
In 1960, the AHA started a program to acquaint physicians with close-chest cardiac resuscitation. It became the forerunner of CPR training for the general public. Each year, more than 9 million people are trained in CPR through our Emergency Cardiovascular Care programs. With our CPR Anytime kits, you can learn CPR skills in just 22 minutes, while anyone can learn CPR skills through our Hands-Only CPR interactive website or mobile app. | www.heart.org/cpr or www.HandsOnlyCPR.org
As part of our mission, we focus on specific causes and
programs designed to help people achieve a heart-healthy lifestyle.
My Life Check - For the first time, the AHA has defined what it means to have ideal cardiovascular health, identifying seven health and behavior factors that impact health and quality of life. We know even simple, small changes can make a big difference in living a better life. Known as “Life’s Simple 7,” these steps can help add years to your life:
• don’t smoke • manage blood pressure
• maintain a healthy weight • take charge of cholesterol
• engage in regular physical activity • keep blood sugar, or glucose, at healthy levels
• eat a healthy diet
To take the My Life Check, and learn more, visit www.heart.org/mylifecheck.
HeartHub.org - With HeartHub, the AHA’s comprehensive online education portal, you can access the latest heart and stroke information, tips and guidelines. Use the interactive tools to understand your risk, track your blood pressure and get personalized treatment information and find answers and advice from our science experts.
Heart360.org - Want to get heart healthy? Visit Heart360.org for easy and comprehensive health tracking and management –– compatible with Microsoft HealthVault™. Here you can set your health goals, track your progress and connect directly with your healthcare provider.
Go Red Heart Match - The American Heart Association’s Go Red Heart Match is a free online program that offers women the opportunity to give or receive support as they fight heart disease. Creating a profile on Heart Match will help you find a woman with a similar heart disease experience and build a one-on-one, supportive relationship.Visit GoRedForwomen.org/HeartMatch to get started today — because women should not have to fight heart disease alone. www.goredforwomen.org
Heart of Diabetes - Provides tools, recipes and a 12-week online exercise and nutrition program specifically designed for people with Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. This tool helps you make lifestyle changes including getting regular physical activity, making healthy food choices and working a with a healthcare provider to lead a healthier, happier life. For more information or to enroll, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit heart.org/heartofdiabetes.
Nutrition Center - Our nutrition center has recipes and healthy tips to help you get the most out of your healthy diet or nutrition goals. Head to www.heart.org/nutrition to find grocery store checklists, diet goals, links to our cookbooks and dining out or at home tips.
