68 | www.Ups tatePhys i c i ansSC . com | www.Hea l thL i nksUps tate. com HEALTHL INKS IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THESE UPSTATE AREA NONPROFITS CONTINUING ITS LEGACY AND BRIDGING HEALTH EQUITY By Riley Mathews Every 43 seconds, a person dies from heart disease, stroke or another cardiovascular disease. This unsettling statistic is one of many concerns that fuels the mission of the American Heart Association nationally and among local chapters as well. "We improve the health of Americans in many ways,” explained Mattie Lee, communications and marketing director at American Heart Association-Upstate. “We help people understand the importance of healthy lifestyle choices." The Heart Association’s outreach springs from significant research. “We are the largest private, not-for-profit funding source for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease research next to the federal government,” said Lee. “And we have invested more than $5 billion in research, thanks to the generosity of donors and supporters.” Research has produced many advanced lifesaving innovations, including “the first artificial heart valve, cholesterol-lowering drugs, heart transplantation and CPR techniques,” according to the American Heart Association. Founded in 1924 amid unawareness of heart disease, the American Heart Association has become a pioneer in improving heart health and reducing deaths. The Dallas-based association is also credited as being “the nation's leader in CPR education and training.” Through the AHA’s commitment to improving communities’ quality of life, the nonprofit also dedicates time and effort promoting health equity among all people and circumstances to lawmakers and policymakers. The future of health care is fragile if health inequity is ignored, AHA notes: “… people who already face inequitable health risks are becoming even more at risk.” “People in some under-resourced ZIP codes have shorter life expectancies than their neighbors just a few miles away,” the group’s website states. “And people in often-remote rural areas face significantly higher death rates from heart disease and stroke.”
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