Since launching in 2012, Million Hearts® has made progress toward reducing illness and death from heart attack and stroke. We’ve learned a lot from leaders and partners in health care and communities about how to effect change. At the half-way mark, we’re accelerating our efforts—join us and take action.
In 2012, the initiative’s first year, Million Hearts® built strong partnerships to ensure steady progress toward preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. Check out just a few examples of how partners worked to improve heart health—a focus on the ABCS, using health information technology, and working in teams.
Learn more about Million Hearts® >
Heart Age
September 2015
Is your heart older than you?
Reducing Sodium in Children’s Diets
September 2014
The pressure is on to keep blood pressure down.
Preventable Deaths from Heart Disease & Stroke
September 2013
Improving care can save more lives.
Getting Blood Pressure Under Control
September 2012
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Where’s the Sodium?
February 2012
About 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet.
High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
February 2011
Cardiovascular diseases kill more than 800,000 U.S. adults each year.
Increasing Cardiac Rehabilitation Participation From 20% to 70%: A Road Map From the Million Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Collaborative [PDF-423K]
Mayo Clinic Proceedings, November 2016
Prevention of Stroke: A Strategic Global Imperative
Nature
Reviews Neurology, July 2016
County Health Factors Associated with Avoidable Deaths from Cardiovascular Disease in the United States, 2006–2010 [PDF-3M]
Public Health Reports, May-June 2016
Changes in the Geographic Patterns of Heart Disease Mortality in the United States, 1973 to 2010
Circulation, March 2016
- Click here to view an animated map that reflects the geographic shift in heart disease death rates in the U.S. between 1970 and 2010.
Disparities in Temporal and Geographic Patterns of Declining Heart Disease Mortality by Race and Sex in the United States, 1973–2010
Journal of the American Heart Association, December 2015
Use of Aspirin for Prevention of Recurrent Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults—20 States and the District of Columbia, 2013
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 2015
Trends in Mortality Rates by Subtypes of Heart Disease in the United States, 2000–2010
JAMA, November 2014
Predicted 10-Year Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease at the State Level in the U.S.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2014
A Literature Review of Indirect Costs Associated with Stroke
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, June 2014
Costs of Hospitalization for Stroke Patients Aged 18–64 Years in the United States
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, June 2014
How Policymakers Can Advance Cardiovascular Health
Scientific American, June 2014
Trends and Disparities in Heart Disease Mortality Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, 1990–2009
American Journal of Public Health, June 2014
Million Hearts®: Prevalence of Leading Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors—United States, 2005–2012
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 2014
Factors Influencing the Decline in Stroke Mortality
Stroke, February 2014
Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among U.S. Adults
JAMA Internal Medicine, April 2014
Aspirin in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
New England Journal of Medicine, January 2013
Taking Aim at America’s Number One Killer—One Key Heart Disease Risk Factor at a Time
Health Affairs, May 2012
Trends in Cardiovascular Health Metrics and Associations With All-Cause and CVD Mortality Among U.S. Adults
JAMA, March 2012
Sodium Intake among US School-Aged Children: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2012
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Diatetics, November 2016
Sodium Intake Among U.S. Adults—26 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 2015
Patients with Undiagnosed Hypertension: Hiding in Plain Sight
JAMA, November 2014
Trends in Blood Pressure Among Adults With Hypertension, United States, 2003–2012
Hypertension, November 2014
Hypertension Screening in Children and Adolescents—National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, United States, 2007–2010
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 2014
Disparities in Access to Care Among U.S. Adults With Self-Reported Hypertension
American Journal of Hypertension, May 2014
An Effective Approach to High Blood Pressure Control: A Science Advisory from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, April 2014
Geographic and Racial Patterns of Preventable Hospitalizations for Hypertension: Medicare Beneficiaries, 2004–2009
Public Health Reports, February 2014
Lessons Learned From Community-Based Approaches to Sodium Reduction
American Journal of Health Promotion, February 2014
Progress of Health Plans Toward Meeting the Million Hearts® Clinical Target for High Blood Pressure Control—United States, 2010–2012
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 2014
Protocol-Based Treatment of Hypertension: A Critical Step on the Pathway to Progress
JAMA, January 2014
Sodium Reduction: An Important Public Health Strategy for Heart Health
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, January 2014
Trends in the Prevalence of Excess Dietary Sodium Intake—United States, 2003–2010
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, December 2013
Association Between Usual Sodium and Potassium Intake and Blood Pressure and Hypertension Among U.S. Adults: NHANES 2005–2010
PLOS One, October 2013
Sodium Reduction Is a Public Health Priority: Reflections on the Institute of Medicine’s Report, Sodium Intake in Populations: Assessment of Evidence
American Journal of Hypertension, October 2013
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Comparative Effectiveness
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, January 2012
The Million Hearts Initiative: Guidelines and Best Practices
Nurse Practitioner, February 2016
Using Electronic Clinical Quality Measure Reporting for Public Health Surveillance
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 2015
Integrating Public Health and Primary Care Systems: Potential Strategies from an IOM Report
JAMA, August 2012
If You’re Stricken, Minutes Matter, yet Many Ignore Signs, Delay Treatment
Wall Street Journal, April 2012
Opportunity in Austerity—A Common Agenda for Medicine and Public Health
New England Journal of Medicine, February 2012