American Heart Association is a non-profit organization within the United States of America. It is the oldest and the largest voluntary organization in the United States, which dedicates its resources to fighting heart diseases and stroke. Through investments in research, quality improvement, advocacy, collaborations with other organizations, public health programs, focusing on aiming at a world free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke, the organization has managed to impact the lives of communities in the United States as well as ensuring the safety. Besides, it has a mission and vision which furthers its purpose of providing public cardiovascular health. Additionally, the organization operates under legislation and policies under which it operates in attempts to emphasize disease prevention and improved cardiovascular health.
Research
American Heart Association impacts health through research. The organization develops an impact goal that guides its overall strategic direction and investments in research (Angell, McConnell, Anderson, Bibbins-Domingo, Boyle, Capewell,& Huffman, 2020). Besides, the organization has researched cardiovascular biology, which has led to the emergence of several drugs, life-saving devices, and therapies that have improved human health. Numerous discoveries have also been made (Hill, Ardehali, Clarke, Del Zoppo, Eckhardt, Griendling, & Vaughan, 2017). The research equally targets every population and every human race, which shows how the organization promotes equal opportunities. Through the research and discoveries, patients with cardiovascular problems can now survive previously proven lethal episodes of heart disease. The organization identified and supports scientific research in areas it sees as critical in achieving its mission and strategic objectives.
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Advocation and Campaigns for Better Health
The organization faces challenges as it fights to achieve its mission. It, therefore, carries out campaigns that advocate for better health regardless of gender and race. For example, women have previously dismissed the disease as an older man's disease (PGR Partnership). Consequently, AHA was forced to create Go Red for Women, which passionately empowers women to look out for their heart health. Go Red Women encourages awareness of issues women face and heart diseases, and further drives actions to save more lives. Furthermore, the association advocates and campaigns for healthy living through recommendations of healthy diet and lifestyles. It believes that the body's best weapons to fighting cardiovascular diseases are through a healthy diet and lifestyle. Epidemiological research reports that sleep duration is associated with cardiometabolic risk (St-Onge, Grandner, Brown, Conroy, Jean-Louis, Coons, & Bhatt, 2016). Hence, the association campaigns for healthy living through better sleep and exercise to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases among communities.
Vision and Mission Statements
The organization has a mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives across the United States. In collaboration with local and international stakeholders, the organization plans to equally increase healthy life expectancy from 66 to 68 in the United States and from 64 to 67 worldwide by 2030 (Angel et al., 2020). The mission focuses on a commitment to broader work, equity at the center, and a unified focus on health and well-being. Although the American Heart Association majors on cardiovascular and brain health, it continues to work with partners and encompasses far more areas that affect their majors, such as healthy foods, clean water and air, safety, and healthy environments. They partner with relevant organizations in the fields to ensure that every human equally gets access to the factors that influence the health of the human brain and the cardiovascular systems. Additionally, the mission focuses on equity at the center. The organization believes that everybody must have equal opportunities to reach their full potential. It believes it can accomplish more when everybody has a feeling of belonging and can contribute to shaping the world.
Collaborations with Other Organizations
The American Heart Association collaborates with the food industry leaders to create a world of longer and healthier lives by ensuring nutritional security for all communities within and outside the United States. The organization works to inspire food companies to use innovations for changes that add up more nutritious, accessible, and affordable options so that the poor or the less income-generating families are not left behind. It has an Industry Nutrition Forum which connects stakeholders from the food and beverage landscape with the American Heart Association's science, policy, and programs to ensure improved healthy eating. The association also teams up with national companies to improve the health of their employees. According to Penn Medicine news, in 2017, AHA and Penn Medicine had a three-year partnership to campaign for healthy living. The partnership commits to providing local and regional communities with education and resources that advocate for health and wellness among all American communities regardless of race or religion.
Impact of Funding Sources, Policies and Legislation
The organization has policies that facilitate its steps towards achieving its mission. In 2017, it had a policy statement on implementing telehealth in cardiovascular and stroke care (Schwamm, Chumbler, Brown, Fonarow, Berube, Nystrom, & Lacktman, 2017). Telehealth facilitates the provision of safe, timely, effective, efficient, and equitable health services to communities across the United States. To facilitate its activities, the association receives financial contributions from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and health insurance companies as well as other corporate and non-corporate support. The funds further facilitate its research and salaries for the employees, which leads to better cardiovascular health care.
References
About PGR Partnership, www.heart.org/HEARTORG/General/About-PGR-Partnership_UCM_442090_SubHomePage.jsp .
Angell, S. Y., McConnell, M. V., Anderson, C. A., Bibbins-Domingo, K., Boyle, D. S., Capewell, S., ... & Huffman, M. D. (2020). The American Heart Association 2030 impact goal: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 141(9), e120-e138.
Hill, J. A., Ardehali, R., Clarke, K. T., Del Zoppo, G. J., Eckhardt, L. L., Griendling, K. K., ... & Vaughan, D. E. (2017). Fundamental cardiovascular research: returns on societal investment: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation Research, 121(3), e2-e8.
Schwamm, L. H., Chumbler, N., Brown, E., Fonarow, G. C., Berube, D., Nystrom, K., ... & Lacktman, N. (2017). Recommendations for the implementation of telehealth in cardiovascular and stroke care: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 135(7), e24-e44.
St-Onge, M. P., Grandner, M. A., Brown, D., Conroy, M. B., Jean-Louis, G., Coons, M., & Bhatt, D. L. (2016). Sleep duration and quality: impact on lifestyle behaviors and cardiometabolic health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 134(18), e367-e386.
“The American Heart Association Partners with Penn Medicine for Three Year Healthy Living Campaign – PR News.” – PR News, www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2017/september/the-american-heart-association-partners-with-penn-medicine-for-three-year-healthy-living-campaign .
