American Heart Association (AHA)

Science and technology the American Heart Association funds scientific studies seeking new discoveries related to causes, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Since our founding in 1924, we've invested more than 4.6 billion in research, making us the largest private, not- for-profit funder of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research. -research spending for fiscal year 2019-20, alone, was 140,080,154 - or 17% of total spending for programs and supporting services. -research awards for the year totaled 120,697,947. See additional information on schedule o.

Professional education research, advances in medicine, and guidelines for best practice are most useful when made available to scientists and healthcare professionals. The aha hosted more than a dozen scientific conferences including scientific sessions and the international stroke conference, as well as meetings focused on specialty areas. Each offered continuing medical education (cme) credits, which are also available through aha online learning programs. See additional information on schedule o.

Public/consumer education informing all americans about ways to reduce their risk of Heart disease and stroke is one of the most important objectives of the American Heart Association. In 2019-20, the Association's public education efforts provided millions of people important information about cardiovascular health. Programs like go red for women help us reach specific audiences with important health messages. See additional information on schedule o.

Community services: quality of care/systems of care -voices for healthy kids awarded 1 million in grants to 22 nonprofits across 19 states, puerto rico and the lummi nation in Washington to support systems and policy work at the state, local and tribal levels that benefit families in need. -over 40 communities received greater access to healthy nutrition through strategies aligned to local needs. This included ensuring acceptance of snap electronic benefit transfer cards at mobile or farmers' markets, expanding access to child nutrition programs after school and at non-school sites, and improving the nutrition standards in workplaces and houses of worship. -with expansion to puerto rico, the aha's empowered to serve business accelerator hosted its first bilingual event and awarded 15,000 in grants to social entrepreneurs shattering barriers to health. -likewise, empowered scholars granted 10,000 to 10 college students enterprising equity solutions in their local communities. -in its first year, the aha social impact fund granted 3 million to 19 organizations breaking down barriers to healthy living. -the aha created the bernard j. tyson impact fund to support community- inspired solutions to health inequities in honor of its namesake, a fearless champion of social justice. Tyson, who died suddenly in 2019, was chairman and ceo of kaiser permanente and a member of the aha board of directors and the aha ceo roundtable. -by the end of 2019-20, 2.6 million had been donated or committed to the bernard j. tyson impact fund to support social entrepreneurs and organizations working to expand access to healthy foods, quality health care, affordable housing and more. -faith and fitness converged with the debut of the empowered and well healthier church challenge, a 12-week health-and-wellness challenge targeted to black women through houses of worship. -families facing food insecurity in los angeles, chicago, philadelphia and birmingham received free produce deliveries, thanks to a 1 million gift from caulipower to the aha. Community services: public advocacy -aha advocacy staff achieved 123 policy wins at the state and community levels in tobacco control, access to care and food security, among other vital areas. -the aha released new principles on health care reform, a blueprint to ensure health care is adequate, accessible and affordable for all people living in the united states. We joined other national health organizations in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in California v. Texas, urging the supreme court to preserve key provisions and patient protections of the affordable care act. -the aha doubled down on its commitment to patients in rural communities, who face a 40% higher prevalence of Heart disease and a 30% increased risk of death from stroke compared to their urban neighbors. In a presidential advisory, the aha issued a call to prioritize rural communities in policies, systems and services. -the aha's bold advocates championed provisions in the families first coronavirus response act (ffcra) and the coronavirus aid, relief and economic security (cares) act. Current priorities include medicaid expansion, telehealth, open enrollment reactivation, health care reform, food security and rollback of preemption law. -lungs blackened by cigarette tar and a Heart patient's zipper incision are among 13 graphic warning labels for cigarette packages and advertisements proposed by the food and drug administration to deter tobacco use. The warning labels are a direct result of a lawsuit we filed to compel the fda to comply with provisions of the 2009 family smoking prevention and tobacco control act. -youth across the country hosted quitlying day events in 106 school districts to call out the e-cigarette industry for deceiving the public about the health effects of vaping and luring teens with flavored products. -aha science and public policy successes were on display during the world congress of cardiology & cardiovascular health, where discussions focused on the global burden of atrial fibrillation and the aha's strategically focused research networks. -for the first time, mental health and neurological disorders were topics during the united nations' high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases. Participants proposed more robust laws and fiscal measures banning tobacco, restricting alcohol advertising, reducing alcohol use, increasing access to healthy foods and taxing sugary drinks.