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Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke by Promoting Health Equity Heart disease, stroke, and modifiable cardiovascular risk factors are experienced disproportionately throughout the U.S. population based on race/ethnicity, social factors, and geography. Structural racism, discriminatory economic policies, and other systemic factors have contributed to these disparities by increasing financial stress, creating distrust of the medical system, curtailing access to quality health care, and segregating populations into unsafe and unhealthy neighborhoods.   These stressors limit certain populations’ ability to pay for medications, obtain home blood pressure devices, access preventive services like cardiac rehabilitation, receive adequate assistance for nicotine dependence, exercise safely, and breathe clean air free of smoke and particle pollution.   As we gear up for Million Hearts® 2027, we are committed to a vision of equal and fair access to cardiovascular health for all, and we refine the Million Hearts® initiative to clearly call out strategies that may have the greatest potential for moving us toward health equity. We will continue to look to our partners for their wisdom and collaboration. We know these problems will not be solved overnight—or even during the next 5 years. But with intentionality, and with partners and stakeholders like you, we are committed to doing our part.   Yours in health,   Laurence Sperling, MD, FACC, FACP, FAHA, FASPC Executive Director, Million Hearts®   Access Health Equity and Racial/Ethnic Disparity Tools

Tools You Can Use CDC provides quick maps of heart disease, stroke, and socioeconomic conditions. National maps from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show county-level patterns of heart disease and stroke mortality and hospitalizations by race/ethnicity and gender group. Maps displaying geographic patterns of socioeconomic conditions and health care costs for heart disease are also available.   View and Download the Maps   Active People, Healthy Nation℠ resources can help doctors and health professionals promote physical activity among patients with disabilities. Active People, Healthy Nation℠ provides resources to help patients with disabilities make physical activity part of their daily routine. This infographic (PDF, 1.1 MB) outlines steps that doctors and other health professionals can use to recommend increasing physical activity among adults with disabilities.   Access the Resources   Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA) offers a free CE course on sex differences in heart failure. PCNA’s free course, “Sex Differences in the Prevention and Management of Heart Failure,” reviews disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure, with a focus on health equity, artificial intelligence, and the inclusion of women in clinical trials. Register for the Course   Bimonthly Million Hearts® Learning Lab focuses on cardiovascular disease prevention and management. The National Association of Community Health Centers’ (NACHC) bimonthly Million Hearts® Learning Labs series focuses on community health centers and is open to clinicians, quality improvement professionals, and other interested staff across the country. Attend the next Learning Lab sessions on November 17 and January 19 from 3 to 3:45 p.m. ET to learn about intensifying treatment to achieve hypertension control and ensuring health equity in preventing cardiovascular disease.   Register for the Million Hearts® Learning Lab PHII and CDC release key findings from a national Health IT assessment on SMBP. The Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII) and CDC conducted a national assessment of health information technology supporting self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring. This report identifies gaps and barriers for widespread adoption of SMBP and makes recommendations for reducing them.   Look at the Report   CDC’s “I Get It” flu vaccination campaign provides resources to communicate the importance of flu vaccination. People with heart disease and other chronic health conditions are at higher risk of developing serious flu complications leading to hospitalization or even death. Use the “I Get It” Digital Media Toolkit to communicate the importance of vaccination.   Use the Toolkit

Quick Fact

“Non-Hispanic blacks are five times more likely than non-Hispanic whites to experience a stroke at age 45 years.” — Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension (PDF - 1.9 MB)   Million Hearts® in the Community CDC Foundation coalition launches first communication campaign for Million Hearts®. The new “Start Small. Live Big.” campaign inspires adults over 55 to get back on track with small steps—like scheduling their medical appointments, getting active, and eating healthy—so that they can get back to living big.   Check Out the Consumer Website Asian American Women Are at Risk for High Blood Pressure, by the National Institutes of Health’s The Heart Truth® program. Through the NACHC blog, the National Institute of Health's (NIH) The Heart Truth® program provides resources for health care professionals to help women and people disproportionately affected by heart disease achieve hypertension control.   Read the Blog   Join the Release the Pressure heart health movement. More than 50% of Black women over age 20 have high blood pressure, and we can’t have that! Put your heart first by taking the Release the Pressure (RTP) Heart Health Pledge. Spread the word to your squad and patients.   Say YES to Heart Health 2022 Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium registration opens on November 1. PCNA’s 28th Annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium features clinically relevant content presented by world-renowned experts. The symposium will be held in person at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel on March 24–26, 2022. Virtual attendance is also available.   Register for the Symposium   Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday (PHASE) participants celebrate their population health innovations during the pandemic. Kaiser Permanente in Northern California worked with the Center for Care Innovations (CCI) to tackle diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension through PHASE. The program helped patients monitor their blood pressure and control their blood glucose during the pandemic.   Read the Article Customizable COVID-19 vaccine toolkit provides resources for rural communities. The Delta Regional Community Health Systems Development Program created a customizable communications toolkit to help rural health care organizations develop internal and external communication materials. The toolkit includes templates for flyers and posters, newspaper and radio scripts, talking points, and more.   Use the Toolkit   The Science of Million Hearts® Postpartum cardiomyopathy, preeclampsia, and eclampsia are leading causes of maternal death for Black women. (Am J Public Health)   Integrating pharmacist and community health workers into the workflow improves blood pressure control for Black and racial/ethnic minority patients. (J Am Heart Assoc) Use of lower-intensity statins among high-risk patients contributes to missed severe hypercholesterolemia diagnosis and clinical inertia. (J Am Heart Assoc) Trends in physical activity among adults with chronic health conditions have increased during the past 2 decades, though overall prevalence remains low. (J Phys Act Health)   Key strategies focused on sociodemographic determinants and behaviors can increase influenza vaccination among patients with cardiovascular disease. (J Am Heart Assoc) ​ Do This! CDC’s Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication emphasize the importance of addressing all people inclusively and respectfully. These principles are intended to help public health professionals within and outside of CDC ensure that their communication products and strategies match the specific cultural, linguistic, environmental, and historical situation of each population or audience of focus.   Use the Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication Stay Connected In order to be featured in the Million Hearts® e-Update, email your resources, tools, and activities to millionhearts@cdc.gov.     You are receiving this newsletter because you are a Million Hearts® supporter.   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd   Atlanta, GA 30329   1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)   TTY: 888-232-6348