American Heart Association 'Citizen Advocates' Ask Congress for More Money to Fight Heart Disease and Stroke

4/25/2002

From: Eric Bolton, Kelly Kennai or Eric Webb, 202-785-7900, all of the American Heart Association

WASHINGTON, April 25 -- More than 350 American Heart Association volunteer "citizen advocates" from virtually every state in the Union will converge on Capitol Hill April 30 to ask their congressional delegations to significantly increase research and prevention funding for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases-the No. 1 killer in the nation.

"Almost one million people die each year in this country from heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, nearly as many as the next seven leading causes of death combined," said American Heart Association President-elect Robert Bonow, M.D. "Heart disease alone is America's No. 1 killer, while stroke is the No. 3 killer," Bonow said. "In addition, nearly 62 million Americans -- about one person in five -- are living with the often debilitating consequences of these illnesses. Cardiovascular disease also has the highest economic impact of all diseases, and is expected to cost the nation approximately $330 billion this year in healthcare costs and lost productivity," he said.

Bonow said the association's volunteers will urge Congress to appropriate $27.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for FY 2003-which will successfully complete a five-year, bipartisan initiative to double the NIH budget. He added that the association is also seeking at least a doubling of the NIH budget for heart disease and stroke programs to coincide with the overall NIH doubling initiative. For FY 2003, the association is specifically asking Congress to appropriate $2.3 billion for heart research and $316 million for stroke research.

"Unfortunately, heart disease and stroke research funding levels have not kept pace with this overall doubling initiative, with the result that federal funding has been inadequate to support the burgeoning scientific opportunities in cardiovascular research," Bonow said. He noted that the level of heart and stroke research dollars has also been below what is needed to counter the burden these diseases impose on the nation. "This message of significantly increasing funding, not only for NIH heart and stroke research, but also for the heart disease and stroke prevention programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be a strong focus for our citizen advocates today," Bonow explained.

For CDC, Bonow noted that association is asking Congress to appropriate $55 million for the agency's Cardiovascular Health State Program and $5 million the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry; as well as a $60 million appropriation for CDC's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. The association is also advocating for $130 million for CDC's anti-smoking programs.

In other legislative activity, association volunteers will be asking their respective members of Congress to co-sponsor a number of specific cardiovascular health bills, including:

-- The Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act-STOP Stroke Act (S. 1274, H.R. 3431): introduced in the Senate by Senators Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Bill Frist, R-Tenn.; and in the House by Representatives Lois Capps, D-Calif., and Charles "Chip" Pickering, Jr., R-Miss. The STOP Stroke Act was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate on February 6, 2002. This bill will help ensure that stroke is more widely recognized by the public and treated more effectively by healthcare providers.

-- The Community Access to Emergency Defibrillation Act-Community AED Act: (S.1275, H.R. 3462): introduced in the Senate by Senators Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.; and in the House by Representatives Lois Capps, D-Calif., and John Shimkus, R-Ill. The Community AED Act was passed in the Senate by unanimous consent on February 6,2002. This bill will help communities implement public access to defibrillation programs. And,

-- The Medicare Cholesterol Screening Coverage Act (S. 1761, H.R. 3278): introduced in the Senate by Senators Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.; and in the House by Representatives Dave Camp, R-Mich. and William Jefferson, D-La. The Medicare Cholesterol Screening Coverage Act is pending in both chambers. This bill will guarantee Medicare coverage of preventive screening for cholesterol and other blood lipid levels.

Note to Washington, D.C., Bureaus: Heart disease and stroke survivors from your coverage area may be available for interviews (and/or photo coverage) on April 30. To set up an interview, please contact Eric Bolton, Eric Webb, or Kelly Kennai at 202-785-7900. Please note that the American Heart Association's local affiliates also may be contacting your publications' headquarters about this story as well.