Each year, about 950,000 Americans die of
cardiovascular disease—primarily heart disease and stroke, which
accounts for more than 40 percent of all deaths in the U.S.
About 61 million Americans (almost one-fourth of the population)
live with this disease—a leading cause of disability and hospitalizations.
Cardiovascular disease costs the United States
an estimated $298 billion in 2001 due to health care expenditures
and lost productivity.
Several HHS offices and agencies, along with
the American Heart Association, are sponsoring “Cardiovascular
Health for All: Meeting the Challenge of Healthy People 2010,”
a national conference that will focus on cardiovascular disease
prevention and treatment, April 11-13, 2002, at the Marriott
Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Conference participants will learn how to
implement practices that are designed to significantly reduce
cardiovascular disease. In addition, topics will address the
cardiovascular challenges set forth in Healthy People 2010 as
well as the overarching goals of increasing the quality and
years of healthy life and eliminating health disparities among
different social groups and segments of the population, including
disparities that occur as a result of gender, race or ethnicity,
education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual
orientation.
HHS’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Health Resources and Services
Administration; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and
the American Heart Association are sponsoring the conference.
During the conference, a number of health
center participants in HRSA’s cardiovascular collaborative will
present information on how they are managing cardiovascular
disease, including prevention and treatment strategies and successes.
The first half-day of the conference—April
11, 2002—will be broadcast by satellite on a delayed basis from
approximately Noon to 4:30 p.m. EST. The broadcast will include
the Conference Welcome; the opening Keynote Address: The Future
is Now; the Goal Area 1 Plenary Session: Mobilizing All Communities
to Value and Promote Cardiovascular Health; and one major Concurrent
Session.
For more information on the conference agenda
and registration, visit http://www.cvh2002.net/
on the Web.
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