American Heart Association Improving Michiganders’ Cardiovascular Health
Julie Bitely
| 3 min read
Just because February has come and gone doesn’t mean the American Heart Association is taking it easy. While they do plan a lot of events and awareness activities during American Heart Month, the association works all year to fight heart disease and stroke. It’s a mission that’s close to our heart, no pun intended. The organization has advocacy arms nationwide, and Michigan is no exception. Find out how the AHA works to protect your heart in the Great Lakes state.
- They fought to require CPR training in schools. Michigan became the 35th state to require high schoolers take CPR training as a graduation requirement. As part of the effort, students are also required to learn how to use automated external defibrillators, which translates to 100,000 more CPR-trained state residents every year. The association is currently working to place CPR in Schools kits in Michigan Schools. They also continue to train CPR instructors for adults throughout Michigan.
- They’re committed to changing the health of all Michigan residents. Staff and advocacy volunteers work together to get issues that affect the cardiovascular health of Michiganders in front of lawmakers. Access to healthy food, tobacco control, and cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment funding are just a few of the many ways the AHA is working hard for the health of everyone in Michigan.
- They invest in research at Michigan hospitals and universities. In Michigan, the AHA is funding $8.4 million in research at local institutions. They’ve also formed and lead the Midwest Resuscitation Group, a collective that develops best practices and resuscitation strategies to improve survival rates for in-hospital cardiac arrest. Nationally, the AHA has invested more than $4.3 billion in research since 1949 to improve knowledge and understanding of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
- They inspire new parents to think about heart health. Through their Little Hats, Big Hearts program, they distribute tiny red hats to new babies born in February at participating Michigan hospitals. Volunteers knit and crochet the hats to raise awareness about heart-healthy lifestyles and congenital heart defects.
- They put the fun in fundraising and creatively raise awareness. Whether it’s learning jump rope skills through the Kids Heart Challenge, putting on fabulous luncheons and galas throughout the state or sharing relevant and timely advice and information on their social media channels, the Michigan volunteers and staff of the AHA are clever and committed about their mission.
Thank you to the American Heart Association in Michigan! Like what the AHA does here? The American Heart Association has offices and home-office staff in numerous communities. Learn how you can volunteer in your community. We partnered with the AHA on this informative Facebook Live video. Watch and learn more about their mission and get tips for how to recognize the signs of heart attack as well as how to protect yourself from heart disease.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
- The Best Exercises for Your Heart
- February is American Heart Month: Heart Disease Prevention
- Go Red for Women: Heart Healthy Recipes
Photo credit: coffeekai
