The American Heart Association shares bold and ambitious mission to ensure equitable health for the next century
The American Heart Association has saved and improved lives for nearly 100 years through data, scientific research, awareness and education, advocacy, collaboration with community clinics and hospital systems and so much more. Our work began in 1949 here in Metro Atlanta – over 74 years ago, and we’re just getting started.
With the support of local volunteers and donors, we’ve worked to overcome barriers to health by addressing societal and systemic inequities in the communities we serve. In metro Atlanta, we continue to advocate for nutrition security, CPR and automated defibrillator devices (AEDs), maternal health, ending tobacco/vaping usage, and eliminating the risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke to become a relentless force for longer healthier lives.
The Association is committed to improving health for residents of metro Atlanta by enhancing access to essential healthcare services and resources. The case is clear: an alarming 27.5% of adults in metro Atlanta have heart disease, and 46% report high blood pressure. The Association, together with our community, can act urgently to strengthen local systems of care – ensuring all metro Atlanta residents live longer, healthier lives.
“As we prepare to close out our first 100 years and begin the next, our work remains as important as ever. We are just getting started on the next chapter of our relentless work to end heart disease and stroke,” said Beth Reese, EVP of Strategic Transformation Programs and board chairperson of the American Heart Association in metro Atlanta. “Monumental goals such as eradicating heart disease and stroke can’t be achieved alone. The collective passion and commitment of our community is what will transform heart and brain health and ensure everyone has the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives.”
Reaching bold goals is made possible because of like-minded individuals and organizations who share in the vision of better health for metro Atlanta. The goals have been set and we will need the support of our entire community to achieve them. Here are our goals as we head into the second century:
Train 100,000 people in CPR within metro Atlanta by 2024.
Seven in 10 people in America say they feel powerless to act in the face of a cardiac emergency1. As a result, less than half of all people who need this lifesaving skill receive CPR from bystanders before professional help arrives.
More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year, according to the Association, which is working to increase the number of bystanders who use CPR in an emergency. More than 90% of people who experience a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital will not survive. By training thousands of metro Atlanta residents in Hands-Only CPR, we are working to ensure that in the face of a cardiac emergency, everyone is prepared to perform CPR and become a vital link in the chain of survival.
Reduce hypertension (high blood pressure) by at least 1% by 2024 in metro Atlanta.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and people living in low-income regions are disparately affected by hypertension due to longstanding systemic policies and barriers that restrict opportunities to live in healthy neighborhoods and access high-quality education and health care.
Because hypertension is largely preventable and curable- with the accessible resources, we are continuing to work directly with healthcare systems through our Target: BP™ program and local Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to address hypertension in target communities in order to provide clinics and patients with much-needed resources such as blood pressure machines/monitors, patient self-monitoring kits and blood pressure cuffs. Through this work, we are striving to ensure that 61,440 residents in the metro Atlanta area no longer suffer from hypertension.
Share 100 Stories of survivors, supporters, donors and volunteers within metro Atlanta by 2024.
By focusing on the impact and contributions that all of our supporters have made in the community, we can further drive the mission of the Association and provide hope to those who may be experiencing some of the devastating effects of cardiovascular disease and stroke. The stories we share come from the heart and enable us to visually capture the progress and results of the support that we receive not only locally, but nationwide.
We’re encouraging everyone, no matter what age, to share their story and their why as we forge ahead for the next 100 years.
“As a volunteer for the American Heart Association, I am amplifying efforts to ask our community to live fierce,” says Marcus Brown, MD, interventional cardiologist, and American Heart Association board president. “Whether you make a bold declaration or take a quiet approach you have the American Heart Association as your guide to a longer, healthier life now and beyond.”
Our Second Century is upon us; as we celebrate our past accomplishments and build towards our second lifesaving century as a relentless force for equitable health for all, the support of our donors and volunteers is more important than ever. To learn more about the Second Century campaign, visit heart.org/FoundersDay or contact atlanta@heart.org for more information.
By training thousands of metro Atlanta residents in Hands-Only CPR, the Association is working to ensure that everyone is prepared to help in the event of a cardiac emergencycambiati. This is a vital step in saving lives and reducing the number of OHCA deaths in our community.