American Heart Month

HCR 20 raises awareness of the nation's leading cause of death: cardiovascular disease.

This unfortunate disease causes an average of one American death every 39 seconds or nearly 2,200 deaths each day. It is the costliest disease in the nation, with direct and indirect costs estimated to be $297,700,000 a year.

The American Heart Association's 2020 impact goal seeks to improve cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent through research, population-level and community-level interventions, and public health and policy measures

The passage of this resolution would join Alaska and the American Heart Association in raising awareness of this disease by celebrating February 2012 as "American Heart Month" and promoting education and awareness by encouraging citizens to learn the warning signs of heart attack and stroke.