National Million Hearts™ initiative is coming to northern Virginia

A regional effort aimed at preventing heart disease and strokes is coming to northern Virginia.

This national Million Hearts™ campaign, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Medicaid Services, seeks to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the U.S. over a five-year period.

Virginia is the third state in the nation to join this fight against two of the leading causes of death and disability in the country. Cardiovascular diseases – including heart attacks, other heart disease and strokes – are responsible for one of every three deaths in the U.S.

Becki Chester, MPH, the Virginia Department of Health’s Northern Region heart disease and stroke prevention coordinator, spearheads this collaborative regional effort. Based at Loudoun County Health Department in Leesburg, Va., she works with local partners including seven northern Virginia health departments, hospitals, volunteers and non-profits to encourage Virginians to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by following the “ABCS” of prevention (http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/abouthds/prevention.html#ABCS):

·      Appropriate aspirin therapy for those who need it;
·      Blood pressure control;
·      Cholesterol management; and
·      Smoking cessation.

The program also encourages healthy lifestyle changes, such as the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7™ (http://mylifecheck.heart.org):

·      Get active;
·      Control cholesterol;
·      Eat better;
·      Manage blood pressure;
·      Lose weight;
·      Reduce blood sugar; and
·      Stop smoking.

To learn more about how to be a part of the Million Heartstm initiative, and to join the regional network, call Becki Chester at 202-669-7878 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). For more information about Million Hearts™, visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/ofhs/prevention/hdsp/millionheartsva.