AHA Announces $ 230 Million Commitment to Supporting Fair Health for All

The American Heart Association, one of the world’s leading voluntary health organizations specializing in the fight against heart disease and stroke, is working to address social determinants of health and barriers to achieving fairness in the health of all. Making an unprecedented set of investments focused on strengthening Communities — cities, suburbs, rural areas.

The Association will raise and invest more than $ 230 million in self-financing and investment over the next four years to support targeted initiatives and programs, while at the same time creating barriers to fair health for all everywhere. Lead additional efforts to drive systematic public health changes focused on removal.

Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association, said: “To ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to lead a perfect and healthy life, we need to remove barriers that exacerbate economic, social and health inequality in vulnerable communities.” It’s right, it’s right, and it’s the only way to improve the country’s overall health. We work with like-minded organizations and supporters to make everyone longer, longer. We look forward to being a relentless force for change that will lead to a healthier life. “

Specifically, the American Heart Association has a comprehensive approach to:

Invest $ 100 million in new scientific research programs and grants focused on evidence-based solutions to health inequality and structural racism. The association also expands opportunities for undervalued racial and ethnic groups in science and medicine to study diversity through grants, STEM programs, the established Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), and the EmPOWERED to Serve Scholars program. To do.

Investing in hyper-local community-led solutions to address health inequalities and structural racism. Specifically, organizations will address at least $ 100 million to address barriers to targeted community-level health inequalities through the Social Impact Fund, Bernard J. Tyson Social Impact Fund, and community-based problem campaigns. Spend. Voice for Healthy Kids Initiative. Earlier this month, the association announced its latest gift. This is a $ 1 million gift from Andrea W. and Kenneth C. Frazier Family Foundation to Bernard J. Tyson Social Impact Fund... Its contributions are directed to local nonprofits and social entrepreneurs working to improve North Philadelphia’s healthcare, food and housing access, and economic empowerment. And last month, Voices for Healthy Kids awarded a $ 2.6 million campaign grant to improve health fairness.

Working with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), federal-funded, 121 million to address the major causes of poor cardiovascular health in black, Hispanic, and indigenous communities Launched a national hypertension initiative for the dollar. Under the partnership, the American Heart Association will team up with HHS to support some medical centers and related communities funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

The collective purpose is to improve the quality of care provided by these centers, provide evidence-based education to healthcare providers and clinicians, and provide patients with training to effectively manage hypertension. is. The association also leverages and extends the existing hypertension program at the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).

In addition, as part of this radical series of actions, the Association has published more science focused on inequality, anti-racism, health inequality, and community-based participation in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including: Enhance scientific discourse on health inequalities by publishing it in our suite. Circulation and stroke.

The American Heart Association also leverages its extensive hospital-based clinical registration program and network to collect data and scientifically impact social determinants of health and health quality differences between racial and ethnic groups. Promotes discovery and understanding. Organizations gain access to healthcare in color and rural resource-deficient communities while fighting to reduce access to tobacco products and sugar beverages (products historically sold in large quantities to the color community). Further focus on ongoing efforts in public policy development to ensure.

Structural racism is worsening health and heart disease, according to a new presidential advisory to the American Heart Association in November 2020, Call for Action: Structural Racism as the Fundamental Driving Force of Health Inequalities. And is the main cause of premature death from stroke. Association’s flagship journal Circulation.. The advisory reviews the historical background, current status, and potential solutions for addressing structural racism in the United States and the steps the association is taking to address the root causes of health care inequality. Here is an overview.

“Our financial commitment is based on the advice of the President and adds to our pledge to take swift and continuous action to accelerate social equality and improve the health of all. “Dr. Mitchell SV Elkind, President of the American Heart Association and Professor of Neurology, said. He studied epidemiology at Columbia University Bageros Medical College and attends a neurologist at the New York Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. “The American Heart Association looks forward to working with allies across the country at the national, state and local levels to break down barriers to the health of historic and systematically marginalized rural and colored communities. ”

“The American Heart Association is bold in addressing health inequalities, as addressing this issue head-on is essential to the country’s overall health and well-being,” said the chair of the association’s board of directors. One Bertram L. Scott said. “Not only are the barriers to equity in housing, education and healthcare wrong, but we are also preventing the American Heart Association from achieving its goal of equitable cardiovascular health for all. I put action behind the words. “

As part of the new 2024 Health Fairness Impact Objectives, the Association is a social barrier as it contributes significantly to the imbalanced burden of black cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, etc.). We are actively working on our efforts. , Asian, American Indian / Alaskan Indigenous People, Hispanic / Latino People and Whites in the United States

In addition, rural populations have a significantly higher proportion of traditional uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors than urban populations. This is due to the high average age, inadequate and affordable health care, and other systemic barriers that contribute to poor health.

Prior to American Heart Month and Black History Month, several targeted initiatives are underway, including:

Earlier this month, discussions were held with key corporate CEOs on key barriers to health inequalities, including structural racism and racial inequality, and how they can have a positive impact on employee and community health. I did.

The full replay of the Virtual Roundtable, jointly announced by the American Heart Association and the Business Roundtable on January 15, will continue to be visible. For more information, please visit the AHACEO Roundtable Conference.

Overall mortality from heart disease and stroke has declined in the last two decades up to the recent plateau, but these increases have not been fairly shared among all.

Black Americans continue to experience the highest mortality rates due to heart disease and stroke. Black Americans have about 30% higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and 45% higher stroke mortality than non-Hispanic white Americans. Black and Hispanic / Latino patients have significantly lower survival to discharge than white patients, even if they manage their socio-economic status.

When it comes to rural health, there is a three-year life expectancy gap between rural and urban populations. In rural areas, tobacco usage, lack of physical activity, obesity are high, and the incidence of diabetes and high blood pressure is high. Similarly, rural communities have high cardiovascular mortality and stroke mortality, and maternal mortality, in part due to cardiovascular death.

Rural areas have higher CVD and stroke mortality rates than urban areas, and the inequality is widening. According to one study, heart disease-related mortality decreased by 42% in urban areas between 1999 and 2009, but only 35% in rural areas. In rural areas, people may face geographical and other traffic barriers to adequately reach emergency health care.