Thank You to All Our Volunteers

Every single day, all over the country, lives are saved and improved because of you. Thanks to your commitment, talent and passion as a volunteer, Americans are living healthier and lowering their chances of heart disease and stroke.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, we’d like to take a moment say thank you for the difference you make in so many lives!

Working together, we’ve made big strides in America’s health, like:

• Advocating for simple medical screenings that can identify heart defects in babies
• Funding research to prevent, treat and understand heart disease and stroke
• Creating programs for populations most at risk
• Helping women understand that heart disease is their No. 1 killer

With your help, we’ll do even more. We know that the only way we will reach our 2020 goal — to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent — is through the time, talent and energy of volunteers like you.

Thank you - take a few minutes and see what we've been able to do with your help.

Unhealthy Teens Could Lead to a Rise in Heart Disease Rates

Less than half of U.S. adolescents are living heart-healthy lives, and lack of exercise and poor diets could be creating a new generation of heart-disease patients. It's no surprise that American adolescents aren't the healthiest eaters, and that they aren't as physically active as they should be. But a new survey from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center confirms the fear that the current generation of teens could be at greater risk of heart disease than their parents if they don't change their behaviors.

A group of teens were polled and tested over a period of two years. Researchers found that these teens were a sedentary group that ate unhealthy foods. More than 80% ate what the researchers rated as a poor diet - high in fast foods and processed foods as well as sugar-sweetened drinks, and low in fruits and vegetables and whole-grain products.

The scientists ranked the children's heart-disease risk behaviors according to how well they complied with the seven factors that the American Heart Association (AHA) recently defined as critical for optimal heart health: maintaining a healthy body weight; eating a healthy diet; being physically active; keeping blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose within normal ranges; and not smoking. If the teens met the recommended requirements, their behavior was rated as ideal; if they fell short, their compliance was considered poor; and if they fell in between, the researchers ranked them as intermediate.

Only 45% of boys and 50% of girls in the study met five or more of these criteria, and less than 1% of the teens were eating an ideal healthy diet. Read more.

World Health Day 2013

This Sunday, April 7, 2013, is World Health Day, and this year's focus is on the hidden epidemic of high blood pressure across the world.  Because many people do not know they have high blood pressure (it may not always cause symptoms), it leads to more than nine million deaths every year, including about half of all deaths due to heart disease and stroke.

Celebrate your health on World Health Day (April 7, 2013). Take a minute to watch this video, then take another minute to make a choice to reduce your blood pressure risk (you can find resources and information here). You only get one life…make it a healthy one!

Fit Friendly Companies Announced

Congratulations to the businesses in our six-state area that were just named Fit-Friendly Workplaces.  Across the United States, over 2,240 worksites were awarded, representing almost 5 million employees. Fit-Friendly Worksites are recognized by the American Heart Association as employers who go above and beyond when it comes to their employees' health. With your help, your workplace can:

• Provide walking routes
• Promote walking programs and tracking tools
• Allow staff to wear athletic shoes on designated "sneaker days"

Congrats again to our companies!  Is your company a Fit-Friendly Workplace?  If not, find out how they can be here.  

New Gold Awards:

Arkansas

ABC Financial Services, Inc. – Sherwood

Baptist Health- Arkadelphia - Arkadelphia

Carousel Fit 4 Life Wellness Center - North Little Rock

Gates Corporation - Siloam Springs, AR - Siloam Springs

Greater Second Baptist Church - Little Rock

Northwest Medical Center - Springdale

Windstream - Little Rock

Colorado

Colorado Springs School District 11 - Colorado Springs

Cooley LLP - Broomfield

Great-West Financial - Greenwood Village

Lockton Companies - Denver

PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc. - Denver

Pepsico - Denver

White Construction Group - Castle Rock

New Mexico

ABQ Area Indian Health Service - Albuquerque

UNM Health Sciences Center - Albuquerque

Oklahoma

CarlisleFoodService Products - Oklahoma City

Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes - Concho

Continental Resources - Oklahoma City

D&L Oil Tolls - Tulsa

DCP Midstream - Tulsa

Hall Estill Hardwick Gable Golden & Nelson - Tulsa

Hartford Insurance Group - Oklahoma City

Help Point Claim Services by Farmers - Oklahoma City

Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Perkins Family Clinic - Perkins

Matrix Service Company - Tulsa

Morton Health Service - Tulsa

Muscogee (Creek) Nation Division of Health - Okmulgee

Northwest Treatment Center - Waynoka

Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality, Inc. - Oklahoma City

OSU Medical Center - Tulsa

Samson Resources - Tulsa

St. John Siegfried Health Club - Tulsa

Verizon Business - Tulsa

WPX Energy, Inc. - Tulsa

YMCA of Greater Tulsa - Tulsa

Texas

Accenture Dallas - Irving

Agape Christian Ministries - Round Rock

American Heart Association Dallas Division - Dallas

Amerigroup - Austin

Bethel A.M.E. Church - San Antonio

BKD, LLP                - Dallas

Broadway Bank - San Antonio

Cameron International Corporation - Houston

Central Texas Medical Center - San Marcos

Cinemark USA, Inc. - Plano

Cisco Systems - Richardson

Citigroup- Irving, Las Colinas - Irving

City of Arlington - Arlington

City of Grapevine - Grapevine

City of Houston Mayor's Office - Houston

City of Houston Planning and Development Department - Houston

City of North Richland Hills - North Richland Hills

City of Rowlett - Rowlett

CPS Energy - San Antonio

Dunaway Associates, L.P. - Fort Worth

El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission - Austin

Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) - Taylor

Embassy Suites Dallas Love Field - Dallas

Embassy Suites Dallas Market Center – Dallas

Ericsson - Plano

Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth - Fort Worth

Grace Covenant Christian Center - Austin

Gus Bates Insurance and Investments - Fort Worth

Hilton Reservation and Customer Care - Carrollton

HoganTaylor LLP - Tulsa

Imperial - Tulsa

Inspirus LLC - Fort Worth

Joeris General Contractors Ltd. - San Antonio

McKinney ISD - McKinney

Mesquite ISD - Mesquite

Mission Trail Baptist Hospital - San Antonio

Mt Zion Baptist Church - Austin

North Central Baptist Hospital - San Antonio

North East Texas Public Health District - Tyler

Northeast Baptist Hospital - San Antonio

Pepsi - San Antonio

Phillips 66 - Houston

Pine Creek Medical Center - Dallas

Radioshack - Fort Worth

Raytheon Dallas Lemmon - Dallas

Richardson UHG/Optum TX023-013 - Richardson

Santander Consumer USA - Dallas

Schreiner University - Kerrville

SGS North America, Inc. - Deer Park

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation - Fort Worth

St. Davids HealthCare - Austin

St. Jude Medical - Austin

Tarrant County College Northeast Campus - Hurst

Technip - Houston

The Hockaday School - Dallas

Towers Watson - Dallas

University of Phoenix - San Antonio

University of Texas at Arlington - Arlington

White's Chapel UMC - Southlake

Worthington National Bank - Fort Worth

Xerox - Lewisville

New Gold & Platinum Awards

Amarillo National Bank - Amarillo

Brentwood Baptist Church - Houston

City of Allen - Allen

City of McKinney - McKinney

Cross Roads Community Church - Pearland

Mathis Brothers Furniture - Oklahoma City

The Beck Group - Austin

New Gold & Worksite Innovation Awards

American Fidelity Assurance - Oklahoma City

City of Albuquerque - Albuquerque

New Gold, Platinum & Worksite Innovation Awards

Nabholz Construction - Conway

Renewal – Gold Award

Arkansas

Arkansas Department of Health Central Office - Little Rock

Arkansas Heart Hospital - Little Rock

Baptist Health - Little Rock

Baptist Health Medical Center – Stuttgart - Stuttgart

Baptist Health Medical Center-Heber Springs - Heber Springs

Baptist Health Medical Center-North - North Little Rock

City of Little Rock - Little Rock

GE Capital - Bentonville

General Mills - Walmart/Sam's Team - Rogers

Johnson & Johnson - Rogers

PepsiCo NW AR - Rogers

Performance Food Group - Little Rock

The Hatcher Agency - Little Rock

Colorado

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado - Denver

CH2M HILL - Englewood

Intelligent Software Solutions, Inc. - Colorado Springs

Kaiser Permanente Colorado - Denver           

KONG - Golden

The Gates Corporation - Denver

ZOLL - Broomfield

Oklahoma

Boldt - Oklahoma City

Capital One Auto Finance - Tulsa

Eide Bailly - Norman

Energy One Federal Credit Union - Tulsa

INCOG - Tulsa

INTEGRIS Health - Oklahoma City

KTUL - Tulsa

Norman Regional Health System - Norman

OKHealth Wellness Program (division of Human Capital Management - State of Oklahoma Office of Management & Enterprise Services) - Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City Indian Clinic - Oklahoma City

ONEOK - Tulsa

OPUBCO Communications Group - Oklahoma City

OU Physicians - Oklahoma City

Pepsi Beverages Company - Tulsa

Scott Rice - Broken Arrow

Sorin Group USA - Arvada

T.D. Williamson, Inc. - Tulsa

Teleflora - Oklahoma City

Tulsa City-County Health Department - Tulsa

University of Central Oklahoma - Edmond

Whole Foods Market - Tulsa

Texas

Abbott Laboratories - Irving

AEP Texas - Corpus Christi

American Heart Association - Tarrant County - Fort Worth

American Heart Association-Texas Affiliate - Austin

Army & Air Force Exchange Service - Dallas

Atmos Energy Corporation - Dallas

BDO USA, LLP - San Antonio

BDO USA, LLP - Houston

BDO USA, LLP - Dallas

Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP - Dallas

BenefitMall - Dallas

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Waco

BNSF Railway - Fort Worth

Brinker International - Dallas

Central Life Sciences - Dallas

Charity Dynamics - Austin

CHRISTUS Hospital - Beaumont

Cigna HealthCare, Plano, TX - Plano

Cintas First Aid and Safety - Coppell

City of Bedford - Bedford

City of Cedar Hill - Cedar HIll

City of Fort Worth - Fort Worth

City of Grand Prairie - Grand Prairie

City of Houston – Office of Business Opportunity - Houston

City of The Colony - The Colony

City of Watauga - Watauga

Collin College - Plano

ConocoPhillips - Houston

Cooper Aerobics - Dallas

Dallas Area Rapid Transit - Dallas

Dallas Fire-Rescue Department - Dallas

Denton Regional Medical Center - Denton

East Texas Medical Center - Tyler

Ernst & Young - Dallas

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas - Dallas

First Command Financial Services - Fort Worth

FLuor Corporation - Irving

Freescale Semiconductor Inc - Austin

Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. - Dallas

Hawk Electronics, a Teletouch Company - Fort Worth

Healthcare Payment Specialists - Fort Worth

Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center - Waco

HollyFrontier Corporation - Dallas

Homeward Residential - Coppell

Houston Airport System - Houston

Huguley Memorial Hospital - Burleson

Integra Realty Resources - Fort Worth

JCPenney Corporation, Inc. - Plano

LabAnswer - Sugar Land

Lockton Dunning Benefits - Dallas

Mary Kay Inc. - Adddison

Myron F. Steves & Co. - Houston

NEI – Plano - Plano

Omni Corpus Christi Hotel - Corpus Christi

Oncor - Dallas

Park Plaza Hospital and Medical Center - Houston

PepsiCo, Inc. - Business Information Solutions - Plano

Peterson Regional Medical Center - Kerrville

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. - Fort Worth

Plaza Medical Center - Fort Worth

PricewaterhouseCoopers – Denver - Denver

Reliant Energy/NRG Energy - Houston

Safety-Kleen Systems - Richardson

Sanden International (U.S.A.) Inc - Wylie

Sewell Automotive Companies - Dallas

TDIndustries - Dallas

TELOS Fitness Center - Dallas

Texas Health Resources - Arlington

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children - Dallas

The Reynolds Company - Fort Worth

The University of Texas at Dallas - Richardson

Trinity Industries, Inc - Dallas

UnitedHealthcare - San Antonio

UNT Health Science Center-Ft Worth - Fort Worth

UT Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas

Verizon Wireless - Southlake

XTO Energy - Fort Worth

Renewal – Gold & Platinum Awards

Apex Capital Corp - Fort Worth

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield - Little Rock

Baylor Health Care System - Dallas

Chesapeake Energy Corporation - Oklahoma City

CHICKASAW NATION - Ada

Colorado Springs Utilities - Colorado Springs

Concentra Inc. - Addison

Department of Veteran's Affairs Health Administration Center at Purchased Care ("VA--PC@HAC") - Denver

Enventure Global Technology, LLC - Houston

Good Shepherd Medical Center - Longview

Harbison-Fischer - Crowley

Higginbotham - Fort Worth

Kimray - Oklahoma City

Monitronics - Dallas

The Beck Group - Dallas

The Medical Center of Plano - Plano

The T - Fort Worth

Tyler Police Department - Tyler

University of Colorado Hospital - Aurora

Viverae Inc. - Dallas

Renewal - Gold, Platinum & Worksite Innovation Awards

JPS Health Network - Fort Worth

Texas Instruments - Dallas

The Facts About Childhood Obesity

Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled and today, nearly one in three children in America is overweight or obese. The numbers are even higher in African-American and Hispanic communities, where nearly 40% of the children are overweight or obese. If we don’t solve this problem, one third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives. Many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and asthma.

The American Heart Association is working hard to help defeat this issue both through advocacy and educational programs.  Check out this handy infographic to see some of the latest stats on childhood obesity and what we're doing as an organization.

Advocates Get In the Red!

It's legislative season and You're the Cure Advocates across the affiliate have been busy showing their red and meeting with government representatives.

Last week, the American Heart Association had its first advocacy event in Cheyenne in four years.  A total of five volunteers attended the Go Red Lobby Day. The morning began with an advocacy training and overview of our Stroke and STEMI Hospital Designations bill.  After that our advocates spoke with Representative Esquibel and our bill sponsor Senator Craft. They were able to share thanks and hand out Go Red for Women pins.

The group was not only recognized in the Senate, they were able to watch the third reading of SF 147 (Stroke/STEMI Designations) which passed unanimously!  They were also recognized on the House side.
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On Friday February 1st,  Colorado Celebrated its Go Red For Women Lobby day. We had a great turn out, with over 21 attendees, including 15 advocates.  The morning started off with a meet and greet (and bagels and coffee) with 13 legislators who stopped by to chat and mingle with our advocates.  The volunteers then made their way to the Senate floor where they were able to hear a resolution declaring February 1 as Wear Red Day, and be recognized.  They were able to do the same on the House side.  
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And finally, in Albuquerque, Mayor Richard J. Berry, his wife, Maria, and the Albuquerque Police Department Mounted Patrol joined the American Heart Association on Friday to celebrate women who have triumphed in the fight against heart disease. The group came together on Civic Plaza wearing red and made the shape of a heart for the annual “Go Red for Women” national campaign. (Jim Thompson/journal)

Thanks for the (bright red) show of support!  We appreciate all our You're the Cure advocates and volunteers.

American Heart Association Announces Top 10 Research Advances for 2012

Resuscitation, cell regeneration, a new high blood pressure treatment and developments in devices for treating stroke are among the key scientific findings that make up this year’s top cardiovascular and stroke research identified by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

 

“At this time of year, it’s gratifying to reflect on scientific progress in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and stroke,” said Donna Arnett, Ph.D., president of the American Heart Association. “Cardiovascular disease research is truly helping people lead longer, healthier lives and the American Heart Association is pleased to be at the forefront of supporting, promoting and translating many important discoveries into practice.”

 

The association has been compiling an annual list of the top 10 major advances in heart disease and stroke research since 1996.

 

The association’s top research advances for 2012 include:

 

1. Extended CPR saves lives

The effect of the duration of CPR on meaningful recovery is uncertain. A study of hospitals using the Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation quality improvement program found survival was higher for cardiac arrest patients who received CPR for a longer amount of time. Patients at hospitals with the longest median duration of 25 minutes for resuscitation efforts had a 12 percent higher likelihood of being revived compared with patients at hospitals with the shortest median time of 16 minutes. Patients who survived after longer efforts did not appear to have substantially worse neurological function vs. patients who responded early. This study’s unique findings raise critical questions about resuscitation duration and have the potential to change medical practice.

 

2. Converting “non-beating” heart cells into “beating” heart cells

Myogenesis (methods for growing new heart muscle) is an emerging frontier, with promise that robust approaches can be found to replace heart muscle lost or injured in heart attacks or other disorders, or not appropriately formed as is the case with some types of congenital heart disease.

 

Two studies showed methods for reprogramming readily available “non-beating” heart muscle cells (non-cardiomyocytes) into “beating” heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) that could be used to replace heart cells and repair scarring. 

 

3. Biopsied heart cells improved heart function and reduced scars

Two human trials, each using different types of cells, showed that cells from heart biopsies could be purified and replaced into the patient’s own heart, improving heart function and reducing scarring.

  

4. “Disconnecting” the kidneys might be the key to treating high blood pressure

The sympathetic nervous system controls most of the body’s internal organs. A hyperactive sympathetic nervous system is believed to be a major contributor to hypertension. Now, four studies conclude that renal denervation — a procedure that reduces the functional connection between the sympathetic nervous system and the kidneys — is safe and effective at lowering high blood pressure resistant to other treatments. Surgery is not required; instead a catheter delivers small bursts of radiofrequency energy to ablate, or reduce, part of the sympathetic nervous system’s connection to the kidneys.

  

5. Progress for children in transplant bridging and Kawasaki Disease

Two studies found significant improvements for treating children with heart disease. A study led by U.S. researchers highlights a new procedure that dramatically extends the life of children under age 16 who are awaiting a heart transplant. Traditionally, these children would have been placed on ECMO, an external device that helps deliver oxygen-rich blood through the body when the heart is unable to. But a smaller device called VAD (ventricular assist device) may buy time for children awaiting transplant.

 

A second study conducted in Japan identified a new and highly effective treatment to prevent coronary abnormalities in children suffering from Kawasaki disease — a rare but deadly autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and long-term damage to the blood vessels.

 

6. Why children and adolescents should “just say no” to sugary drinks

Although we’ve known for years about the association between consuming sugar-sweetened beverages and overweight and obesity, two clinical trials this year provided definitive evidence. Both independently concluded that reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages reduces weight gain in children and adolescents. The studies are the first-ever randomized controlled trials showing that calories from sugar-sweetened beverages can harm children’s health.

  

7. Global impact:  ECHO screening for rheumatic heart disease

Rheumatic heart disease is a major global health problem, especially in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, affecting more than 15 million people. A clinical trial done in Ugandan children showed that an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) is highly effective at screening for rheumatic heart disease — an inflammation of the heart valves that occurs as a result of certain types of Streptococcus infections. In this largest-ever screening trial of African children, the echocardiogram detected three times as many cases of rheumatic heart disease as the traditional use of the stethoscope only.

  

8. Devices for stroke

This year marked several important developments in the use of medical devices for treating stroke. The SOLITAIRE and TREVO devices were found to more effectively clear blocked blood vessels in the brain than the MERCI device, benefitting a significantly greater percentage of patients. On the other hand, the CLOSURE trial found that devices that closed small holes between the upper chambers of the heart (patent foramen ovale) in certain stroke patients did not prevent subsequent strokes any better than standard medical treatment.

 

9. Ideal cardiovascular health practices lead to longer life, lower risk

Two notable studies this year highlighted the huge impact lifestyle factors can have in lowering heart disease and stroke risk and in helping people extend their lives. People with “ideal cardiovascular health,” as measured by seven components — health behaviors (not smoking, regular exercise and healthy diet) and health factors (ideal body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose) had the lowest risk.

 

10. Bypass surgery vs. drug-coated stents for diabetes patients

A large clinical trial found that patients with diabetes who had multiple clogged heart arteries fared significantly better when treated with bypass surgery vs. drug-coated stents. These patients were less likely to die or have a heart attack within five years if they underwent bypass surgery compared to treatment with drug-coated stents. Patients like the ones studied represent about a quarter of all patients undergoing heart procedures in catheterization labs. The study suggests that bypass surgery should be considered an important treatment option for such patients.

 

Find out more about these advances.