American Heart Association Welcomes Sen. Crapo as Co-Chair of Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition

7/21/2003

From: Jennifer Daniel, 509-536-1500; Kelly Kennai, 202-785-7900; both of the American Heart Association

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Senator Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, has stepped up his commitment to health promotion and disease prevention by accepting the position of Senate co-chair for the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition. The American Heart Association welcomes the Senator to this important position and looks forward to working with him in the fight against the nation's No. 1 killer - heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

Sen. Crapo fills the vacancy left by Sen. Bill Frist, R- Tenn., when Sen. Frist took over the position of Senate Majority Leader. Sen. Crapo joins current Senate Co-Chair Byron Dorgan, D- ND, and House Co-Chairs Mark Foley, R- Fla., and Lois Capps, D- Calif.

The Coalition works to raise awareness of the seriousness of cardiovascular diseases and acts as a resource center for heart and stroke issues including: biomedical research; quality and availability of care; and health promotion/disease prevention. The Coalition also works to advance public policy aimed at fighting cardiovascular diseases.

"This is a very exciting development for us," said Mary MacConnell, director of Advocacy for the American Heart Association in Idaho. "Senator Crapo has been a member of the Coalition in the past and is a strong advocate for health awareness, particularly in the area of prevention."

Senator Crapo's experience as a prostate cancer survivor led to his effort to provide more health information to Idahoans. Since 2001, he has sponsored the Mike Crapo Health Awareness Booths at regional fairs in Idaho. The booths provided both cancer and cholesterol screening tests. Elevated cholesterol levels are a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

"Sen. Crapo is making a valuable contribution to our communities through sponsoring these health screenings," said Jim Miller, chair of the board for the American Heart Association Board in Boise. "By arming folks with information about their cholesterol levels, they are able to take actions toward making lifestyle changes that could ultimately save their lives."

In addition to his health education efforts, Sen. Crapo is a supporter of the National Institutes of Health-funded research. Earlier this year, he co-authored a letter, along with Sen. Dorgan, which was signed by 43 senate colleagues, advocating for an increase in the NIH budget and an increase in heart and stroke research.