The first Friday of February is honored annually as National Wear Red Day – February 3 – as part of American Heart Month to highlight the impact of heart disease on the lives of millions of Americans and raise cardiovascular health awareness.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women nationwide, with one person dying every 36 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease and about 659,000 people in the U.S. dying from heart disease each year.
Throughout American Heart Month, we can all do our part to bring greater attention to heart health. Check out the resources below as well as on the CHCANYS website for information and materials to share in your health center.
And make sure to register for CHCANYS’ webinars addressing cardiovascular health and supporting patient health outcomes:
- Click here to register for CHCANYS’ Hypertension Care and Management Webinar Series
- Click here to register for Improving Health Outcomes for Patients with Undiagnosed Hypertension with Azara Healthcare on March 2 at 12PM.
- Click here to register for Identifying and Tracking Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) Risk with Azara Healthcare on March 14 at 12PM.
Additional American Heart Month Resources
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) celebrateds both American Heart Month and Black History Month.
- National heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: National Wear Red Day & American heart Month Social Media Toolkit.
- CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke: Best Practices for Heart Disease and Stroke: A Guide to Effective Approaches and Strategies.
- HRSA Heart Health Office Hours: HRSA offers quarterly office hours on Heart Health, and a wealth of resources and information for actionable clinical care and decision support; make sure to sign up for their newsletter by clicking here.
- Million Hearts: Million Hearts® is a national initiative co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to address and prevent cardiovascular disease.
- NACHC Million Hearts Initiative: NACHC and the CDC have partnered together to reduce heart attacks and strokes to help achieve the Million Hearts’ goals.
- National Hypertension Control Initiative Community Health Center Resource Library: These resources are intended to support clinical providers in the implementation of self-monitored blood pressure (SMBP). Topics include the scientific evidence and rationale for SMBP, technical considerations for SMBP, patient education, and details on the Measure Accurately, Act Rapidly, Partner with Patients (MAP) framework.