A Healthy Environment Is Essential for Healthy Hearts

Highlight the importance of reducing particle pollution exposure This year’s World Environmental Health Day theme is strengthening environmental health by implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs).   Pollution, declining air quality, and extreme heat days have a direct impact on cardiovascular events, especially in vulnerable populations. Million Hearts® supports World Environmental Health Day by targeting many SDGs, including reducing particle pollution and combating climate change.   On November 3, 2022, the Million Hearts® Climate Change & Cardiovascular Disease Collaborative, in partnership with the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, will host a webinar kickoff event to provide a platform for health care organizations to learn about cardiovascular health threats related to climate change and pollution, offer evidence-based interventions, and test and refine solutions.   With your partnership, we can build healthy communities and a sustainable future—and take action to prevent cardiovascular events. Hospitals, health systems, and each of us can contribute to a healthier environment. Every day must be a World Environmental Health Day. Yours in health,   Laurence Sperling, MD, FACC, FACP, FAHA, FASPC Executive Director, Million Hearts®   Learn more about climate change and health equity   Tools You Can Use   Increase physical activity with inclusive and equitable strategies. Active People, Healthy Nation℠ offers evidence-based strategies that communities can implement to increase physical activity across various sectors and settings.     Improve hypertension control and cardiovascular outcomes with fixed-dose combination (FDC) antihypertensive medication. This policy analysis provides coverage information for FDC antihypertensive medications for state Medicaid and Managed Care Organizations that can be used to update health center and other Medicaid provider formularies, inform clinicians, and embed covered FDCs into clinical workflows. Watch HRSA’s FDC Antihypertensive Medications Coverage: A Review of Resources for Health Centers for more details.     Active People, Healthy Nation℠ releases adult physical inactivity maps by race/ethnicity. New maps illustrate differences in the prevalence of physical inactivity in the United States by race/ethnicity and location.     Cholesterol Communications Kit provides resources for patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Cholesterol Communications Kit includes resources for patients, a cholesterol quiz, and social media messages and graphics to help people understand why managing cholesterol is important for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.     Moving Matters campaign provides tools for increasing physical activity. Moving Matters, a new communication campaign from Active People, Healthy Nation℠, includes tips and tools to help people start reaching personal goals, educational materials on how to overcome common barriers, and other resources to help your community get moving.       Quick Fact In 2020, 11% of adults felt that crime made it unsafe for them to walk in their neighborhood. —CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report     Million Hearts® in the Community “Live to the Beat” features a 7-episode series with comedian KevOnStage to discuss heart health in the Black community and small steps to lower cardiovascular disease risk. “Live to the Beat” aims to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in Black adults ages 35–54. In the campaign’s seven-video series, KevOnStage meets with experts—including a cardiologist—to discuss healthy eating, mental health, and more.     Life’s Essential 8™ are key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health. The American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8™ are eight behaviors and factors that play a key role in cardiovascular health. A new website allows users to conduct a self-assessment and come up with a plan for a longer, healthier life.     The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers the Particle Pollution and Your Patients’ Health course for health care professionals. A free EPA training course provides information on the mechanisms responsible for the cardiovascular and respiratory effects of exposure to particle pollution. The course also includes tools to help patients protect their health.     UCHealth Memorial Hospital recognized as a new Million Hearts® Health System. UCHealth Memorial Hospital developed a cardiac rehabilitation program that increased access to vital cardiac rehabilitation services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program combined virtual and in-person sessions. Million Hearts® applauds UCHealth’s commitment to the cardiovascular health of its community.       The Science of Million Hearts® Health systems implement strategies to maintain a focus on hypertension control during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Prev Chronic Dis)   Discriminatory housing practices are associated with cardiovascular disease and lack of access to medical care. (J Am Coll Cardiol)   Regular vigorous or moderate physical activity is associated with lower mortality. (Circulation)   Patients with history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy have a 2.4-fold increased risk of hypertension. (J Am Coll Cardiol)   Antihypertensive and Statin Medication Adherence Among Medicare Beneficiaries. (Am J Prev Med)     Do This! EPA’s Healthy Heart Toolkit and Research page features resources to protect the heart from air pollution, tools to check air quality, healthy heart activities, and updates from partners, as well as resources on air pollution science.   Take  Action with the Healthy Heart Toolkit   Help Us Spread the Word Help us spread the word about the new Million Hearts® priority areas by sharing this post on your social media channels: @MillionHeartsUS 2027 is prioritizing a small set of evidence-based strategies and targets to prevent 1 million #cardiovascular (CVD) events in the next 5 years. Learn more. https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/about-million-hearts/index.html #MH2027     Stay Connected To be featured in the Million Hearts® e-Update, email your resources, tools, and activities to millionhearts@cdc.gov.

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