What Does the American Heart Association Do (and How Can You Help)?

HomeCirculationVol. 145, No. 24What Does the American Heart Association Do (and How Can You Help)? Free AccessLetterPDF/EPUBAboutView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toFree AccessLetterPDF/EPUBWhat Does the American Heart Association Do (and How Can You Help)? Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM Donald M. Lloyd-JonesDonald M. Lloyd-Jones Correspondence to: Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 680 N Lake Shore Dr, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Email E-mail Address: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0847-6110 Departments of Preventive Medicine, Medicine, and Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL. Search for more papers by this author Originally published13 Jun 2022https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.060542Circulation. 2022;145:e1073–e1076As I near the end of my term as president of the American Heart Association (AHA), I am reflecting on all of the things I have witnessed. After almost 25 years as a volunteer for this extraordinary organization, I feel that I now have a handle on the scope and impact of AHA. I realize that mine is an “inside” view, and that many of our tens of thousands of health care/science volunteer members, and our more than 40 million lay volunteers around the world, may not have a sense of just what AHA is doing every single day to promote the health of communities and individuals. I can’t begin to recount all of AHA’s activities, but I do think an overview is in order.AHA’S Mission, Guiding Values, and Impact GoalThe Figure is a great place to start. AHA’s mission is “to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.” How we do that is beautifully summarized in our 8 guiding values. To translate our mission and guiding values and focus the efforts of the organization, the AHA has generally adopted decade-long impact goals. Our current 2024 Impact Goal1 has a shorter timeline, leading up to the 100th anniversary of our founding. We are committed to the principle that “every person deserves the opportunity for a full, healthy life.” To date, AHA has committed more than $230M and leveraged countless more dollars from our partners to assist in achieving the Impact Goal. We have already seen impressive results from these investments and have excellent momentum; stay tuned for more on this front in the next 2 years.Download figureDownload PowerPointFigure. The American Heart Association’s Strategy Framework, including our guiding values, mission statement, strategic value proposition, and 2024 Impact Goal.AHA’S Impact in Science and MedicineScience is at the core of everything that AHA does. First, we fund science. Many of you first became aware of the AHA through its funding for young investigators. We all benefit from the results of AHA-funded research that improves the care of our patients and our communities. I am proud to say that, later in 2022, AHA will surpass the $5B mark in funding of cardiovascular and brain research during the last several decades. That is second only to the federal government in research funding dollars. Before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, AHA funded between $135M and $150M in research annually. In FY2021, there was a dip owing to the uncertainty of the economy; but in FY2022, AHA is back to at least prepandemic levels, and we anticipate the early return of usual programs as well as new funding opportunities. During the pandemic, AHA showed how nimble it could be, awarding almost $3M in rapid response COVID-19 grants within weeks. Powered by innovative volunteers, the AHA also immediately leveraged its Get With the Guidelines platform to create one of the largest inpatient registries of COVID-19 patients, with impactful results presented and published within 6 months. In the last few months, the AHA has awarded $10M in new long COVID-19 research projects. AHA also provided extensions and additional funding to assist junior investigators whose labs were struggling as a result of lockdowns. With our partners, AHA jointly funded $12.1M in grants to advance equity in biomedicine by supporting research-oriented faculty experiencing caregiving crises.Beyond its usual and COVID-19–related funding programs, AHA has created novel platforms to extend our research in service of the 2024 Impact Goal. In June 2021, AHA awarded its first $20M Health Equity Research Network grant. Researchers from 8 institutions are pursuing 5 distinct projects focused on preventing the onset of hypertension in Black American communities. This first-of-its kind network promises to test numerous approaches to primordial prevention of the most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. In June of 2022, AHA will fund a second Health Equity Research Network grant focused on maternal–infant health and pregnancy outcomes, a major equity issue that is tightly linked to cardiometabolic health. AHA also recently created a 5-center Strategically Focused Research Network addressing the science of enhancing recruitment and retention of diverse individuals in clinical trials, including an innovative national training center.In addition to funding science, AHA is a major driver of implementing science to improve the care of patients and the health of communities. The guidelines produced by AHA and the American College of Cardiology interpret the current state of the science and set the bar for evidence-based practice across cardiovascular and stroke medicine. As a result of a recent process upgrade, guidelines henceforth will be updated as needed annually, to ensure timely and relevant changes. Once produced, AHA staff promulgate the guidelines through print, media, digital platforms, our Get With the Guidelines quality improvement tools, and programs like Target:BP and Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol. Every year, AHA also produces dozens of scientific statements, presidential advisories, and the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update to disseminate the latest in scientific knowledge in cardiovascular medicine. And, of course, Scientific Sessions, our specialty conferences, and online educational offerings remain some of the premier avenues for sharing science and evidence-based care strategies.AHA’S Engagement in CommunitiesThis is a side of the AHA that many volunteers never get to see, but it is where AHA has among its most profound impacts. AHA is deeply engaged with more than 30,000 schools across the US through our Kids’ Heart Challenge program, teaching children about cardiovascular health, volunteerism, and supporting the AHA’s mission. Other programs, such as the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Teaching Gardens, and Healthy for Good, meet families and children where they are to promote healthy living. I recently worked with the AHA and National Football League to promote the NFLPlay60 Challenge for kids’ physical activity; during Super Bowl week, our messages about heart health reached 3.84 million children in classrooms across the country.AHA’s Social Impact Fund and Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund have led to millions of dollars of investment in locally led, evidence-based solutions to break down economic and social barriers to health equity in under-resourced communities. Through its CEO Roundtable and countless other initiatives, AHA leverages alignment with America’s largest employers to create and recognize healthier workplaces. And the list goes on….AHA’S ADVOCACY FOR HEALTHIER POLICIESDuring the last 40 years, AHA has become a powerful and trusted voice advocating for public health and health care policies at the local, state, and federal level. AHA’s tireless advocacy staff work in all 50 states and are relentless in pursuit of our goals to improve the health of the population through initiatives for cleaner air, the Tobacco Endgame, improved nutrition, physical activity in schools, National Institutes of Health funding, improved systems of care, and expanded access to affordable, quality health care, among many other priorities.ChallengesTo be sure, there are many challenges ahead. Social determinants of health restrict the opportunities of too many people in leading full, healthy lives, which culminates in large health disparities across geography, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic position. Cardiovascular health status has stagnated in the face of the ongoing obesity epidemic, and subtypes of cardiovascular death rates are starting to increase for the first time in decades. Major barriers to health care access continue to plague our country, and there are fundamental changes on the horizon in the delivery of health care. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the urgent need to restore public health infrastructure and capacity. Whereas the role of nongovernmental organizations such as AHA is increasingly crucial, there are numerous threats related to the changing landscape of charitable giving, public distrust of science, misinformation regarding health in the media, changing attitudes toward public institutions, and many more. The AHA will need strong partnerships and passionate commitment from its volunteers to face and overcome these challenges.You are the EngineWhatever role you play, you are what makes it possible for AHA to do all of these things. There are numerous ways you can continue to support the mission at the local and national level:Become a member/renew your membership;Get involved in your scientific council(s);Engage with your metro and regional boards;Become an advocate: sign up at www.yourethecure.org; andDonate your time or money today!In short, the AHA is a truly relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. The passionate commitment of our professional and lay volunteers, along with the expertise and professionalism of AHA’s staff, are improving and extending people’s lives. Together, we will continue to have extraordinary impact as we enter our second century in 2024, and beyond.Article InformationSources of FundingNone.Disclosures None.FootnotesFor Sources of Funding and Disclosures, see page e1076.Circulation is available at www.ahajournals.org/journal/circCorrespondence to: Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 680 N Lake Shore Dr, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Email [email protected]eduReferences1. Lloyd-Jones DM, Elkind M, Albert MA. American Heart Association’s 2024 Impact Goal: every person deserves the opportunity for a full, healthy life.Circulation. 2021; 144:e277–e279. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.057617LinkGoogle Scholar Previous Back to top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails June 14, 2022Vol 145, Issue 24 Advertisement Article InformationMetrics © 2022 American Heart Association, Inc.https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.060542PMID: 35696454 Originally publishedJune 13, 2022 Keywordsresearchguidelinessocial determinants of healthAmerican Heart Associationpolicyquality improvementPDF download Advertisement