A
Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke
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A
Message from the Directors of CDC and NIH
A Public Health Action
Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke is a call to action for
tackling one of our nation's foremost challenges—to prevent and control
chronic diseases.
To meet the challenge,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) are charged with providing leadership to reduce
heart disease and stroke, using Healthy People 2010 objectives as
their guide. The CDC and the NIH gratefully acknowledge the many individuals
from such areas as public health practice, academia, and voluntary health
organizations, whose dedicated efforts have produced the Action Plan.
By implementing this plan through collaborations with these and other
partners, we can make the nation's public health system more effective in
protecting the health and enhancing the daily lives of all Americans.
Our national goal for
preventing and controlling heart disease and stroke requires prevention,
detection, and treatment of risk factors; early identification and treatment
of heart attacks and strokes; and prevention of recurrent cardiovascular
events. The Action Plan presents a framework for public health action
that addresses each of these requirements, from preventing risk factors to
assuring accessible, high–quality care for patients with these conditions.
The success of this comprehensive public health strategy will also
contribute to meeting the overarching goals of Healthy People 2010,
which are to increase quality and years of healthy life and to eliminate
health disparities.
Our greatest challenges
often represent our greatest opportunities. The challenge is
formidable—turning the tide on our nation's leading causes of death and
major contributors to disability and dependency. We must not underestimate
the commitment needed. By making this commitment and fully implementing the
Action Plan, the public health community, along with present and
future partners, will improve our nation's health. We invite each of you to
join us in making this plan a reality.
Julie Louise Gerberding,
MD, MPH
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Elias A. Zerhouni, MD
Director, National Institutes of Health
Next Section: Executive Summary
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Contents
Date last reviewed:
05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke
Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion |
