Drawing of a heart

Approximately every 40 seconds, an American will have a heart attack. About 790,000 people in the United States have heart attacks each year. Of those, about 114,000 will die¹.

February is known as the month of love. However, individuals are not fully aware of how important it is to be healthy. Heart Disease (including coronary heart disease, hypertension and stroke) remains the #1 cause of death in the United States.

Great Plains QIN wants to encourage everyone to live longer, healthier lives so we are able to experience and enjoy the best moments life has to offer with the those you love. American Heart Month focuses on heart healthy education for all care settings, families and communities.

Million Hearts® typically selects a focus area for this observance, develops key messages and hosts a variety of Twitter chats throughout the month of February. Be sure to check https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/news-media/events/index.html for the latest news and resources for this observance.

As a healthcare community, we must help drive awareness of the initiative to improve care and outcomes related to heart health. Learn more about Million Hearts® and ways to protect our hearts (and the hearts of our patients) during February and throughout the year. Our role is vital to the success in preventing heart attacks and strokes. Let’s commit to doing better.

  1. American Heart Association, American Stroke Association Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics.