By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Attacking Heart Disease in Inequality Land
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > Cardiology > Attacking Heart Disease in Inequality Land
CardiologyGlobal Healthcare

Attacking Heart Disease in Inequality Land

gooznews
Last updated: September 14, 2011 12:40 pm
gooznews
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

Here’s one cheer for the “Million Hearts” initiative launched yesterday by Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Donald Berwick, chief of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. By establishing a goal of reducing heart attacks and strokes by 10 percent a year over the next five years, they’ve set a measurable objective that, if achieved, will save lives.

But will their program work? The program has two components: clinical prevention measures and public health measures.

Here’s one cheer for the “Million Hearts” initiative launched yesterday by Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Donald Berwick, chief of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. By establishing a goal of reducing heart attacks and strokes by 10 percent a year over the next five years, they’ve set a measurable objective that, if achieved, will save lives.

But will their program work? The program has two components: clinical prevention measures and public health measures.

More Read

Amazing Health Tech in Surprising Places: A Report from Azerbaijan
How Ebola Spreads, and the Response from Public Health Officials
Shareholders’ Agreement Benefits for Family-Owned Healthcare Firms
5 Huge Ways Healthcare is Changing in 2024
Four Health Innovation Drivers

The clinical measures include aggressive use of electronic medical records to find and treat people at high risk of heart disease. The interventions include a daily aspirin for people who already have heart disease (less than half of such people now take a daily aspirin, whose anti-platelet effects help prevent the clots that lead to hearts attacks and strokes); blood pressure control and cholesterol-lowering meds for more people at risk of heart disease because these biomarker levels are elevated (less than half and a third of people at high risk, respectively, have those biomarkers under control); and more aggressive and targeted anti-smoking campaigns for the 20 percent of adult Americans who still smoke.

On the public health side, the two officials said the government will beef up its anti-smoking campaign; promote policies like menu labeling in chain restaurants so people can reduce caloric intake and sodium consumption (salt raises blood pressure); and promote policies aimed at eliminating trans fats in food, which raises artery-clogging cholesterol. Frieden and Berwick also gave a shout-out to the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign, and call for expansion of the Diabetes Prevention Program, an intensive lifestyle counseling program that is being promoted nationally by the YMCA.

There was a 50 percent reduction in U.S. mortality from heart attacks between 1980 and 2000. Still each year there are 2 million such events, and 800,000 people die from heart disease, their joint article in today’s New England Journal of Medicine said. The program is aimed at reducing that by 1 million attacks and strokes over the next five years.

Here’s what’s missing from the program: any discussion about the social determinants of heart disease. The major news story of the day (other than the endless political conflict in Washington over which budget to slash fastest so more people can lose jobs and benefits) is the rapid growth of poverty and and inequality in the U.S. over the last decade. Official and unofficial unemployment (at least 16%) has reduce the American population to income levels of 1997, and raised poverty levels to the highest they’ve been since 1993.

One of the root yet silent causes of heart disease is economic stress. Bad food is cheap food. Even the urge to smoke is stress-related for people who want to quit. The latest census numbers on poverty don’t address inequality, but scientists have known since a famous study among British civil servants that insecurity and lack of status piled on top of low incomes are a major cause of heart disease and premature mortality.

It’s not the role of public health agencies like CDC and CMS to end unemployment, poverty and inequality in America. But any public health campaign to reduce heart disease that is worth its salt should start with public recognition of its one of its primary economic causes, and call for a reduction in those risk factors. Unless we reduce the rising levels of economic stress in the U.S., and around the world, all health care system and public health program interventions against heart disease will be of no more consequence than sand castles against the waves.

TAGGED:heart diseasemillion hearts initiative
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Wikipedia: Study Confirms It Is a Reliable Source of Online Health Information

December 20, 2012

Future Diabetes Treatment Approaches

September 12, 2011
Dengue Vulnerability
Global HealthcarePolicy & LawPublic Health

Making a Case for Sustainable Health Care

January 6, 2015
Global HealthcareMedical DevicesMobile HealthPublic HealthTechnology

Video: Eliminating Barriers To Care Using Technology

December 29, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?