American Heart Month and Black History Month During February, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) celebrates both American Heart Month and Black History Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), one person dies every 34 seconds from heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for men, women, and most racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., including Black people. Black communities are often disproportionately affected by heart disease and many of its risk factors based on certain social determinants of health, including access to medication, preventive services, and safe exercise. This month, CMS OMH hopes to highlight the importance of heart disease prevention and care management to combat health disparities in Black communities, who often have increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Though heart disease-related deaths have declined over the past two decades, research shows that disparities persist as Black adults continue to experience higher death rates than white adults, especially in rural or segregated areas. Black people also have the highest prevalence of cardiovascular disease out of all racial groups in the U.S., with 58.8% of Black females and 60.1% of Black males having some form of CVD in 2015 to 2018. Recognizing American Heart Month and Black History Month together by highlighting resources and initiatives for communities disproportionately impacted by heart disease allows CMS OMH to help advance health equity for all Americans. We encourage you to review and share the resources below this month and all year long. Resources See the Ischemic Heart Disease Disparities in Medicare Fee-For-Service Beneficiaries data snapshot for information about ischemic heart disease (also known as coronary artery disease) among Medicare Fee-For-Service beneficiaries. Additional relevant data snapshots include: Atrial Fibrillation, Diabetes, Heart Failure, Hyperlipidemia, Hypertension, and Obesity Read about our Connected Care campaign, which raises awareness of the benefits of chronic care management (CCM) for patients with multiple chronic conditions and provides health care professionals with resources to implement CCM, like the CCM Connected Care Toolkit. This toolkit includes tips and fact sheets for health care professionals, along with educational materials to share with patients. View the Coverage to Care (C2C) Roadmap to Better Care, which is available in 10 languages. This resource explains what health coverage is and how to use it to get primary care and preventive services. Visit the C2C Prevention Resources webpage to download resources for your patients so they can learn about services available at no cost to them under most health coverage. All resources are available in 8 languages. Check out the Healthy People 2030 website to learn more about improving heart health and preventing disease. Share the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s American Heart Month resources with your patients to encourage them to live a heart-healthy lifestyle. Review the CDC’s 7 Strategies to Live a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle infographic to learn more about lowering heart disease risk and preventing other chronic conditions.

 

 

CMS Office of Minority Health  |  Working to Achieve Health Equity Paid for by the US Department of Health and Human Services