American Heart Assn. Applauds Legislatures Support For Initiatives To Reduce Heart Disease, Stroke; Survey Identifies Priority Issues 1/25/2002
From: Kelly Kennai or Eric Bolton, 202-785-7900, both of the American Heart Association DALLAS, Jan. 25 -- State legislators have named significant health issues supported by the American Heart Association as high-priority concerns for 2002, according to a survey by the Health Policy Tracking Service of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The American Heart Association supports state and federal public policies that advance the association's goal of reducing heart disease and stroke by 25 percent by the year 2010. The NCSL survey listed a number of state legislative issues of particular interest to the American Heart Association. Those issues and the number of states that listed them as high priority, include the following: -- Regulating the sale of tobacco to minors (20); -- Allocating more funds for tobacco-use prevention (17); -- Allowing reimbursements for diabetes care (17); -- Creating and funding initiatives to prevent and screen for chronic diseases (14); -- Curbing smoking in public places (13); -- Addressing high-risk pools for health care insurance (13); -- Regulating sales or advertising of tobacco (12); -- Providing funds for morbid obesity treatments (11); -- Enhancing 9-1-1 emergency response systems (10); -- Creating and funding initiatives to screen for nutrition (10); -- Implementing programs that encourage physical/cardiovascular exercise (9). Other legislators said they consider these issues important to their states but said they were lower-priority concerns. "We appreciate the legislatures giving careful attention to these public health issues," said David Faxon, M.D., American Heart Association president. "Close to one million Americans die each year from heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Policymakers and legislators can make a major impact in fighting these devastating diseases." The Health Policy Tracking Service of the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures reported the figures in its 2002 State Health Priorities Survey published in January. The information is based on an informal survey of state governmental contacts. Responses from all 50 states were collected prior to the start of the 2002 legislative sessions. The report can be found at http://www.hpts.org/info The American Heart Association's policy agenda focuses on issues that address research funding, access to quality healthcare, stroke, tobacco control, emergency cardiovascular care, physical activity, nutrition, and non-profit issues. |