In its mission to prevent heart attack and stroke in North Carolina, the Task Force and HDSP Program have identified and focused on the following key issues to be addressed with multiple partners across the state:
1. Data
Need for more complete and accurate data for surveillance and evaluation of the NC HDSP efforts.
2. Physical Activity
Safe opportunities for North Carolinians to increase their Physical Activity:
- Communities that are walkable and/or bikeable
- Universal access to recreational facilities and parks
- Organizational policies and environments to encourage physical activity during the work day
- K-12 daily Physical Education taught by certified PE specialists
3. Nutrition
Increased opportunities for healthy eating in NC communities:
- Restaurants, cafeterias, vending machines with healthy options clearly identified
- Point of purchase displays to encourage healthy grocery selections
- Organizational policies to provide heart healthy options at events
- Standards for all foods served in schools
- 1% or less fat milk routinely provided
4. Tobacco
Reduced exposure to tobacco, especially for teens, pregnant women and smokers attempting to quit:
- Reduce teen access to tobacco products
- Clean indoor air policies in work sites and public spaces
- Access to smoking cessation programs for assistance to smokers wishing to quit
- Awareness among those with or at risk for CVD of the dangers of second hand smoke
5. Hypertension
Increased awareness and control of hypertension, especially among at-risk
populations:
- Professional education to bring measurement and control of hypertension into compliance with the latest national guidelines
- Access to medications when needed to control hypertension
- Awareness of the importance of knowing your numbers and taking action to control them, including healthier behaviors
6. Cholesterol
Increased awareness and control of cholesterol, especially among at-risk
populations:
- Professional education to bring measurement and control of cholesterol into compliance with the latest national guidelines
- Access to medications when needed to control cholesterol
- Awareness of the importance of knowing your numbers and taking action to control them, including healthier behaviors
7. Diabetes
HDSP has worked with DPC to improve the quality of care for diabetics in the primary care setting through the chronic care model and to raise awareness among diabetics of their increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
8. Obesity
9. Stroke
Increased awareness of the warning signs of heart attack and stroke and the need to treat them as emergencies and call 911:
- Improvement of the systems involved with the acute care of stroke, including emergency transport, acute treatment as appropriate, and prevention of recurrent events
- Increased attention to and funding for research needed to identify the cause(s) of the extraordinarily high stroke death rates in the easternmost counties of NC – the "Buckle" of the Stroke Belt
10. Racial Disparities
There are significant racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease death rates, risk factors and outcomes in NC and in the nation. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher made eliminating racial disparities in health a central goal of the national health objectives for year 2010, known as
Healthy People 2010. For more information on the racial disparities issue, please click on
www.raceandhealth.hhs.gov.
11. Prescription Drug Assistance for Seniors
The North Carolina Division on Aging has addressed the issue of coverage for prescription drugs for senior North Carolinians with the support and interest of the Management Committee of the HDSP Task Force. The HWTF Commission, funded with tobacco settlement dollars, runs a Senior Care program providing prescription drug assistance to seniors.
In 1999, the NC General Assembly appropriated $1 million over two years to provide assistance to those who meet income requirements and qualify for Medicare, but not for Medicaid. The Division on Aging was also required to come up with long-term recommendations for dealing with this problem. Those recommendations were endorsed by the Task Force at its meeting prior to being submitted to the 2000 Session of the NC Legislature.
12. Peripheral Arterial Disease
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is an early marker for CVD that can be easily diagnosed in the doctor’s office. Keys to early detection are patient and physician awareness, recognition of early symptoms such as pain and numbness in the legs and feet, and non-invasive diagnosis.
With early detection, initiation of preventive measures and medical therapy, further progression of atherosclerosis can be slowed and many devastating complications of CVD prevented.
13. Women and Cardiovascular Disease
Heart disease and stroke is devastating to women, causing nearly twice as many deaths as cancer each year. But CVD is not recognized as a major health threat for women, nor are most people aware that it is largely preventable.
Almost all of the early research was done on men, but recent findings confirm that women may experience different symptoms, are frequently under diagnosed and under treated and are more likely to die of CVD than their male counterparts.
For more information on women and cardiovascular disease, please visit North Carolina Wise Woman Program.
Last Updated 09/18/06
