 |
|
|
|
|
Fact Sheets and At–a–Glance Reports
State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program Addresses Heart Attack Prevention
This document is also available in
Portable Document Format (PDF–151K).
Learn more about
PDFs.
|
Examples of State Programs in Action
Florida has a statewide network of trained regional coordinators that promote provider adherence to clinical guidelines for heart attack.
Alaska, Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Montana, New York, North Carolina, and Wisconsin are addressing continuous quality of care in hospitals for preventing new and recurrent heart attacks. They have trained hospital staff on the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association's (ASA)
Get With the GuidelinesSM program.
Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Utah promote health system supports, such as reminders of care, use of clinical performance measures, and use of case management services to increase adherence to recommended heart attack treatment guidelines.
Maine has 55 hospitals participating in nurse case management interventions for patients who have had heart attacks.
Nebraska partners with its Office of Women's Health on a signs and symptoms of heart attack campaign.
The Montana and West Virginia state programs have partnered with
the states' Quality Improvement Organizations, the American College of
Cardiology (ACC), physicians, nurses, and hospital administrators to
implement quality of care improvement projects and increase adherence
to the ACC/AHA practice guidelines for heart attack patients.
Arkansas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Utah, and Ohio partner with Community Health Centers to improve the quality of care
for patients with heart disease, heart attack, and stroke being served by the
centers.
Wisconsin and its Women's Center for Cardiovascular Research produced the documentary video, "A Silent Threat: African American Women and Heart Disease" which features women who have suffered strokes or heart attacks and offers prevention strategies.
Connecticut partners with its Office of Emergency Medical Services, to train the
state's Emergency Medical Services providers on stroke and heart attack treatment guidelines. The
program partners with the Greater Hartford Health Ministry to educate African Americans about the signs of stroke and heart attack.
|
Heart Attack Facts
- About 1.2 million Americans suffer a heart attack each year in the
United States, including an estimated 700,000 who will have a first
heart attack and 500,000 who will have a recurring heart attack.1
- On average, someone in the United States suffers a heart attack every 26
seconds and every minute someone dies of a heart attack.1
- About 4 of 10 people who have a heart attack will die from
one. Of serious concern is that about two thirds of the people who die
when their heart suddenly stops working have no previous symptoms of
this disease.1
- Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the primary cause of premature,
permanent disability among the U.S. workforce. The estimated average
number of years of life lost due to a heart attack is 14.2 years.1
- The projected cost of CHD in 2007 is $151.6 billion in combined
direct and indirect costs.1
- Risk factors that can be modified or controlled include high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, obesity, physical
inactivity, and excessive alcohol intake.
State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Programs Take Action
Examples of activities to implement in health care, work sites, communities, and
schools include the following:
- Promoting health care that improves care by adhering to guidelines for
preventing primary and secondary heart attack (e.g., physician reminder systems). Potential Partners: primary care associations, federally-qualified health centers, managed
care organizations, and Medicare Quality Improvement Organization.
- Partnering with American Heart Association affiliates and state organizations to promote policy changes
for improving risk-reduction counseling and other prevention measures, and
provide appropriate treatment to patients with CHD. Increase quality care
access in federally funded community health centers and eliminate CHD disparities among priority populations with higher rates of disease. Potential Partners: primary care associations, federally–qualified health centers, managed
care organizations, and Medicare Quality Improvement Organization.
- Promoting policies for treating heart attack as an acute emergency; provide immediate diagnostic evaluation and treatment. Potential Partners: hospitals, medical associations,
and American Heart Association (AHA) affiliate.
- Providing education, training, and public awareness by educating the public about heart attack symptoms and the importance of seeking prompt emergency assistance to reduce heart attack death and disability. Potential Partners: hospitals, AHA affiliate, local media, Red Cross, medical, nursing, and faith associations, priority population organizations, PTA,
and department of education school health programs.
- Strengthening prevention through increased awareness and education about risk factor and lifestyle changes;
such as, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking through policy and environmental changes. Assure detection and follow–up services for control of
high blood pressure and cholesterol in the work site and community. Reinforce the Coordinated School Health Program. Potential Partners: AHA affiliate, business, industry and human resource management, employee associations, unions, PTA, Department of Education School Health Programs, fire departments, faith organizations, local minority nursing association, and local health departments.
- Advocating for health care coverage that includes primary and secondary prevention services and rehabilitation services for heart attack survivors. Potential Partners: AHA affiliate, business, industry and human resource management, employee associations, unions, third party payers, health care providers, local policymakers.
References:
- American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2007 Update. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association, 2007.
Back to top
Date last reviewed:
02/07/2007
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke
Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion |
|
