A bold initiative called Million Hearts aims to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes from happening over the next five years. “This wide-ranging collaboration among communities, health systems, government agencies, and private-sector partners will rely on individuals like you and me to meet that goal.
The initiative is spearheaded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Its main focus is to encourage more widespread and appropriate use of simple, effective, and inexpensive actions dubbed the ABCS:
- taking daily low-dose Aspirin, if prescribed. Only half of Americans who should be taking aspirin are doing it.
- managing Blood pressure and Cholesterol levels. Both of these silent conditions contribute to heart attack and stroke.
- quitting Smoking. Help is available for anyone who wants to quit.
In addition to reviewing the most current targets for blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking cessation—and strategies for hitting them—we added D (for Diet) and E (for Exercise) to the Million Hearts alphabet. Because eating healthfully and staying physically active are important contributors to preventing cardiovascular disease.
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