Last night the Million Hearts initiative hosted a fantastic reception in Washington, DC, that was sponsored by the ACC, along with the American Heart Association and the Association of Black Cardiologists. The event not only provided us with an opportunity to highlight our commitment to help prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years, but also network with other public and private stakeholders around this shared goal.

The Million Hearts initiative was launched in September to directly address heart disease and stroke – two of the leading causes of death in the U.S. – by bringing “together communities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies, and private-sector partners from across the country” (read a previous blog post about the initiative here). The program is jointly managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with former ACC Senior Vice President for Science and Quality Janet Wright, MD, FACC, leading the charge.

During the reception, ACC CEO Jack Lewin, MD, committed the College to educating both consumers and the entire cardiac care team about the best, evidence-based strategies for reducing cardiovascular disease. In particular, we are excited about the opportunity to help monitor progress toward the goals of the campaign and provide important feedback to providers through the ACC’s PINNACLE Registry^TM.  On the consumer front, the ACC’s CardioSmart^TM National Care Initiative will play an important role in educating consumers about the “ABCS” (Aspirin for high-risk patients, Blood-pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation) and everyday strategies for healthy living.

These and other strategies are also highlighted in a recent letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. I personally am very excited about the opportunity to partner with Million Hearts on this important venture that takes an important step towards dethroning heart disease as America’s #1 killer.

For more information on the Million Hearts initiative, including partner commitments, visit the Million Hearts website. Be on the lookout for an article about Million Hearts in the Nov./Dec. issue of Cardiology Magazine. For additional CardioSmart patient fact sheets or to view the fact sheets in Spanish, visit CardioSmart.org.