Ask Your Lawmakers to Help Fight Cardiovascular Disease and Save Lives!
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, affecting more than 100 million people and accounting for 1 in every 8 dollars spent on health care. Despite decades of progress, mortality rates are rising again. Congress must pass spending legislation that keeps people healthy, supports scientific discoveries, fights cardiovascular disease and protects kids in our schools.
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds groundbreaking medical research that helps people suffering from cardiovascular disease and many other chronic conditions. The NIH supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in every part of the country. Congress must increase funding for the NIH this year to help us develop new lifesaving treatments.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Chronic Disease Center helps local governments and communities prevent and manage chronic diseases, such as heart disease and stroke. Early diagnosis of chronic diseases makes treatment much easier and helps people live longer, healthier lives.
- As many as 23,000 kids suffer a cardiac arrest each year; unfortunately, only 10% of people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive. People nearby performing CPR and using an available automated external defibrillator (AED) can dramatically increase the chances of someone surviving a cardiac arrest. In schools with an AED, students are 7 times more likely to survive a cardiac arrest. In 2024, Congress unanimously passed a bipartisan HEARTS Act that created a new grant program to make it easier for schools to get access to the tools they need to save lives. Congress must now provide funding for the HEARTS Act to make this law reality!