Million Hearts

Million Hearts 

"Heart disease causes one of every three American deaths and constitutes 17 percent of overall national health spending. By enlisting partners from across the health sector, Million Hearts will create a national focus on combating heart disease." — HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Million Hearts is a national initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Services to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next 5 years. Heart disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Million Hearts brings together communities, health systems, nonprofits, federal agencies, and private-sector partners from across the country to fight heart disease and stroke.

Million Hearts focused on two goals: 

• Empowering Americans to make healthy choices such as preventing tobacco use and reducing sodium and trans fat consumption. This can reduce the number of people who need medical treatment such as blood pressure or cholesterol medications to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
• Improving care for people who do need treatment by encouraging a targeted focus on the "ABCS" — aspirin for people at risk, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation— which address the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity are associated with mental illness, and treatment of the mental illness can reduce the effects of these disorders. Up to 83% of people with serious mental illness are overweight or obese, and 44% of the U.S. tobacco market is composed of individuals with a mental or substance use disorder. All too often, after overcoming an addiction or mental illness, people with these disorders suffer from premature morbidity and mortality as a result of poor diet, and lack of exercise and primary prevention services.

Building on SAMHSA’s work to promote wellness, HHS has committed to aligning all available resources to support improved outreach and provision of comprehensive healthcare to people with mental and substance use disorders.

To further their goal to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017 Million Hearts has just  released educational resources to help Hispanics take control of their heart health.Hispanics/Latino Americans die most often from heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. These Spanish-language resources below are designed to help these groups get the information and tools they need to improve heart health.

• Four Steps for Heart Health [PDF-821K]
  
• Community Health Workers Fact Sheet [PDF-402K]
  
• How to Control Your Hypertension by Learning to Control Your Sodium Intake: a Fotonovela [PDF-3M]
  
• How to Control Your Hypertension by Learning to Control Your Sodium Intake: Promotora Guide [PDF-1M]
  
• Million Hearts website (Español)

Visit the Million Hearts Initiative website for further information and resources.