The Phoenix Heart Ball funds programs for prevention and intervention provided by the American Heart Association.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association was founded in 1924 by six cardiologists and continues to work every day to advance groundbreaking medical research, spread lifesaving knowledge and achieve longer, stronger lives for people in our community.

Heart disease and stroke claim more lives than any other disease, putting people of all ages at risk, from infants to the elderly. Last year, cardiovascular disease claimed more than 14,000 lives in Arizona, making it the number one cause of death.

The American Heart Association's Mission: Building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The American Heart Association's Impact Goal: By 2020 to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing the deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20%.

The Halle Heart Children's Museum is an interactive, hands-on museum teaching children how to identify emergency warning signs and what to do about them, as well as about healthy eating and exercise habits, the science of veins, arteries and how the heart works, and the benefits of tobacco-free living.

The newly renovated Halle Heart Children's Museum celebrated its grand reopening in November of 2010. Over twenty-five thousand elementary students will visit the museum yearly, thanks to AHA transportation funding for Arizona Title One (underserved) schools and those with budget constraints. The museum will help schools meet mandated state educational requirements in health, science and physical education.

 

The American Heart Association funds cutting-edge research projects both nationally and throughout Arizona. Currently $4.5 million in research is being funded to top institutions including Mayo Clinic, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, University of Arizona, and Arizona State University. These research projects have the potential to save millions of lives.

The AHA works to promote heart-healthy public policy. In Arizona, the AHA joined forces with the American Cancer Society to pass Smoke Free Arizona, protecting the community from secondhand smoke in the workplace, restaurants and bars.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation addresses childhood obesity. Arizona lawmakers are working to ensure physical education is included in all Arizona school curriculums, and to remove vending machines with calorie-poor choices from school campuses.

Get with the Guidelines helps update doctors and hospitals with the best options for treating heart disease and stroke, as well as improving the quality of patient treatment in Arizona. It has helped lower Arizona mortality rates by up to 8%. Patients are counseled on smoking cessation, blood pressure treatment, weight and exercise, medication compliance and other appropriate interventions, saving both lives and significant amounts of money.

Nearly 80% out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at home where CPR is not performed in time or at all. CPR Anytime targets 7th grade students in Phoenix-area schools and teaches CPR in just 22 minutes. Participants receive a CPR kit that includes an instructional DVD and inflatable CPR mannequin. Students participating in this program reported training three additional family members or friends on how to perform CPR. The goal is to teach CPR to 20 million new people nationally by 2011.

The Healthy Schools curriculum helps make healthy school environments the norm, rather than the exception. It gives students the opportunity to learn how to live healthier lives - critical since nearly 25 million children, or about every one out of three, are overweight or obese.

Research suggests that healthier school environments can greatly increase academic achievement, improve student and staff attendance, and create healthier lives for both students and educators.

Go Red for Women is a national campaign that raises awareness of heart disease, the number one killer of women. The campaign encourages women to adopt or improve heart-healthy habits, and have annual cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index tests.

On National Wear Red Day, the first Friday in February, millions of Americans wear red to show their commitment to fight against heart disease in women.

CHI offers programs to reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke disparities for minority and medically underserved populations.

The Power to End Stroke partners with Arizona churches to provide health screenings and education in communities with higher rates of stroke and stroke-related death, such as Latino and African American communities.

Search Your Heart helps minority and underserved populations reduce risk of heart disease and stroke by teaching nutrition and fitness in faith-based and other communities.

Twelve primary stroke care centers throughout the Phoenix Metroplex have completed a rigorous 36-point check system to accurately recognize, respond and treat individuals suffering from stroke: Arrowhead Hospital, Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, John C. Lincoln, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Scottsdale Osborn Hospital, Sun Health Walter O. Boswell Memorial Hospital, Sun Health Del E. Webb Memorial Hospital, Banner Baywood Medical Center, Banner Good Samaritan Hospital, West Valley Hospital, and Phoenix Baptist Hospital.