The Big Problem of Little Heart Attacks

The World Heart Federation announced last month that beginning this year, World Heart Day will be held each year on September 29.

According to the World Health Organization 17.1 million people around the globe die from cardiovascular disease every year – an estimated 1.4 million are Americans and more 32,000 are Illinoisans. More women die of cardiovascular disease than from the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.

Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. This means women - mothers, sisters, spouses, friends - are dying at the rate of one per minute because they don't know what you know: heart disease kills.

Send a message to your legislators to make sure they are supporting policies that improve heart health. Then mark World Heart Day by forwarding this eye-opening short video Just a Little Heart Attack to at least 5 women in your life, or even posting it on Facebook. Ask your friends to become part of the Cure by joining our fight against cardiovascular diseases.

Learn the signs and don't hesitate to call 9-1-1 if you see them.

Send your legislator letter now, and feel free to customize it to share why this is so important to you!

Letter to the Editor – City’s Wellness Plan A Must For Police

Did I read the statement from Fraternal Order of Police president Mark Shields correctly? Did he say he opposes his membership participating in the city’s wellness program because police officers are “not the healthiest?”

If that’s the case, denying officers the opportunity to access resources that would help them get healthier is the wrong way to address that problem.

Shields may think he is standing up for his membership by protecting them from paying higher premiums, but he is doing far worse by putting pocketbooks over potbellies. Being more concerned about financial costs than the subsequent toll that major health risks, such as high cholesterol and hypertension, have on an officer’s health, family well-being and community is doing a disservice to the FOP members.

By failing to endorse the city’s wellness initiative, the union representing Chicago’s police officers is also failing to serve and protect the health of officers who do the same for our citizens.


Kathleen L. Grady, PhD, APN, FAAN
Chair, American Heart Association Illinois Advocacy Committee

Upcoming Training on Oct. 12th focused on Building Healthier Communities

Organizations serving suburban Cook County that are working to build healthier communities are encouraged to come learn from experts in food policy and community planning on how to take actionable steps to make healthy, sustainable environments a reality at the Greentown Conference!

· Hear keynote speaker, Mark Fenton, host of "America's Walking" on PBS.
· Participate in breakout sessions organized by CPPW as part of Healthy Eating Across the Lifespan:
· Making the Shift to Local Food. Other sessions include Complete Streets and Safe Routes to Schools; Community Water Conservation, Waste Reduction, and Green Business Strategies.
· Share ideas with Pioneering Healthy Communities teams from across Illinois and the Midwest.
· Discover PlanItGreen – Oak Park and River Forest's Community Sustainability Plan.
· Network with over 300 like-minded community members at the reception following the event.

Registration closes Sept 30th and there are only 150 slots available so please make sure to relay the urgency. There is no cost for agencies that serve suburban Cook County! For a full agenda and to register online, visit: http://www.cookcountypublichealth.org/events

Congressman Davis doing hands-only CPR

Rep. Davis learning hands-only CPR from Doug Miller to the Stayin’ Alive beat to promote his health summit back in July 2011.

Promote healthy police

Chicago Tribune * 5:09 p.m. CDT, September 19, 2011

We care about our police officers. Their courageous service keeps our community safe and protects us from crime. Police officers are key to the health of Chicago. While they are busy looking after us, the stresses of their profession often put their personal health at risk. There is now an opportunity to change that.

That is why we urge the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to support and participate in Mayor Emanuel’s Wellness Plan for city employees.

We understand that police officers perform a stressful job that contributes to a higher than average risk of a health problems, including premature heart disease and stroke. It is this increased risk that makes police participation in a wellness plan so essential.

Mayor Emanuel's Wellness Plan for city employees addresses two problems: the poor health of Chicagoans (evidenced by high rates of heart disease, stroke and obesity) and spiraling health care costs. The Plan would offer city employees and their families health screening and wellness training, the tools needed to lose weight and manage conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The Wellness Plan also encourages and rewards increasing exercise and smoking cessation. There is no downside to these benefits unless one opts out of the opportunity to improve one's health.

At the American Heart Association, we support the goals outlined in the Wellness Plan. Knowing your risk factors makes a difference!

In a September 15th Sun-Times article, Mark Shields, FOP President, admitted that while his membership is not the healthiest, with officers that are overweight, have high blood pressure and more diabetes than the average citizen, he is reluctant to support the Plan. Apparently, his position is that the plan exposes his members to potential financial burden (possibly because of disease detection or perhaps because of surcharges for nonparticipation).

That logic seems flawed. The health risk of being a police officer should be a reason for the police union to endorse this plan. Mr. Shields is focusing on the "stick" in the Emanuel plan, not the carrot. The carrot is good health and longer life; the stick only applies to non-participating employees, who would be subject to a monthly surcharge ($50-$100/family). Rather than focusing on the hypothetical risk of increased health insurance premiums because diseases have been detected, Mr. Shields should boldly embrace this opportunity to improve the health of Chicago's finest.

-- Stephen L. Archer, President of the Board of the American Heart Association, Chicago

To read article http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-110919archer_briefs,0,3619748.story