OUR MISSION:
In 2007, the American Heart Association decided to change its mission statement to 'Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.' It is a strong, positive, action-oriented message. It shows how we intend to serve our consumers in a global market while looking toward our future goals. OUR IMPACT:
In January 2008, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released new mortality data which shows that, since 1999, coronary heart disease and stroke age-adjusted death rates are down by 25.8 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively. This means that our 2010 strategic goal for reducing deaths from coronary heart disease has been achieved, and for stroke nearly achieved - well ahead of schedule. A new impact goal for 2020 is already being developed. How We Work For You Commitment to Research
The American Heart Association dedicates more monies to research than any other voluntary health organization. Only the federal government funds more cardiovascular research. We focus on developing early career investigators, young people who will increase the capacity of the research community to generate the highest quality research. The American Heart Association is proud to be associated with some of the best and brightest minds in science. We have funded research in the careers of eight Nobel Prize winners. Improving treatment
We're working to improve the quality of health care in hospitals and doctors' offices by creating best practices for treating heart disease and stroke. Get With The Guidelines is our premier hospital-based quality improvement program. More than 1,400 hospitals have implemented one or more Get With The Guidelines modules. We have the most current, robust database in the country, with more than 1 million patient records on file. Advocating for better health
Our nationwide volunteer network, You're the Cure, advocates for issues at the national, state and local levels via e-mails, phone calls and legislator visits. There are nearly 140,000 advocates working to change public policy. In 2007, volunteers signed and delivered 27,000 Red Dress Paper Doll Petitions in support of the HEART for Women Act. Reaching out to high-risk populations
Blacks have almost twice the risk as whites for first-ever stroke, and our American Stroke Association is reaching out. Our Power To End Stroke initiative raises awareness and mobilizes key opinion leaders to encourage others to take preventive action. More than 4,600 ambassadors, including mayors, legislators, professors, ministers, sports figures and celebrities have been recruited to help spread stroke messages to the African-American community. Providing CPR training
We pioneered CPR development and training, and in 2006-07 we instructed about 11 million people in CPR and emergency cardiovascular care (ECC). We just launched a new ECC Instructor Network portal to better serve the 280,000 instructors in 3,500 training centers. We make crucial training available in 17 languages and our materials are distributed more than 80 countries. Holding scientific meetings
Providing forums to exchange scientific knowledge is basic to our mission. Our Scientific Sessions is the world's largest gathering devoted to cardiovascular science. Last year, 26,878 attendees came from around the world to attend and our International Stroke Conference drew about 5,400 attendees, including more than 4,100 medical professionals. Educating Americans
We save lives every day by offering information and education. We distribute more than 7.7 million pieces of patient education information to health care professionals, patients, families and caregivers, and each year more than 5 million people visit our patient education Web sites. | 
