Each year, about 950,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease—primarily heart disease and stroke, which accounts for more than 40 percent of all deaths in the U.S. About 61 million Americans (almost one-fourth of the population) live with this disease—a leading cause of disability and hospitalizations.

Cardiovascular disease costs the United States an estimated $298 billion in 2001 due to health care expenditures and lost productivity.

Several HHS offices and agencies, along with the American Heart Association, are sponsoring “Cardiovascular Health for All: Meeting the Challenge of Healthy People 2010,” a national conference that will focus on cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, April 11-13, 2002, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.

Conference participants will learn how to implement practices that are designed to significantly reduce cardiovascular disease. In addition, topics will address the cardiovascular challenges set forth in Healthy People 2010 as well as the overarching goals of increasing the quality and years of healthy life and eliminating health disparities among different social groups and segments of the population, including disparities that occur as a result of gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation.

HHS’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Health Resources and Services Administration; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and the American Heart Association are sponsoring the conference.

During the conference, a number of health center participants in HRSA’s cardiovascular collaborative will present information on how they are managing cardiovascular disease, including prevention and treatment strategies and successes.

The first half-day of the conference—April 11, 2002—will be broadcast by satellite on a delayed basis from approximately Noon to 4:30 p.m. EST. The broadcast will include the Conference Welcome; the opening Keynote Address: The Future is Now; the Goal Area 1 Plenary Session: Mobilizing All Communities to Value and Promote Cardiovascular Health; and one major Concurrent Session.

For more information on the conference agenda and registration, visit http://www.cvh2002.net/ on the Web.

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