Visit the North Carolina You're the Cure Community Website

We have moved to the new North Carolina You’re the Cure Community website: www.yourethecure.org/northcarolina.

 

Come visit us and see all the exciting new ways you can engage in our mission.

 

You’ll find:

• More opportunities for social sharing
• Personalized content based on location and the issues you’ve indicated interest in
• More and better chances to take impactful actions
• A points, ranks and badges system to reward participation and display dedication to heart disease and stroke 

Register yourself as a Community Advocate today so you can participate and help us drive our policy work online!

You're the Cure NC: Exciting News Ahead!

Coming soon for You're the Cure NC is a new You're the Cure Community Website!  We are scheduled to launch very soon.  This new website will provide you, our advocates with more useablity and be our new home for you to be an educated, engaged advocate. 

Some of the great new features include:

• Highly personalized content based on location and the issues that you have indicated you are interested in.
• More and better chances to take impactful actions.
• More opportunities for social sharing across multiple platforms while in the site.
• Points, ranks, and badges system to help you really get active with You're the Cure and show others your dedication to building healthier lives!

I know that you are going to love the new site. It's going to be fun exploring all the great new features. Stay tuned for more information regarding the You're the Cure Community Website launch in the days ahead. 

Look What You Helped Do; Thank Legislators for Helping Save Lives

The 2012 North Carolina General Assembly was lively and productive, yielding some notable successes and also leaving us with more work to be done. We are excited to share with you the great news of our success with HB 837: Completion of CPR by Students Required which is currently awaiting the Governor's signature. Thanks to the hard work of you and your fellow advocates, NC took a major step toward ensuring we have a generation trained to be a lifesaver. Thank you for your advocacy!

Please take a moment to thank your lawmakers for their support of saving lives - send your customizable letter now.

Here is a brief recap of some of the exciting issues You're the Cure advocates helped us work on:

HB 837: COMPLETION OF CPR BY STUDENTS REQUIRED

(http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H837v4.pdf) Makes successful completion of instruction in CPR available to all students, requires maintenance of documentation of CPR instruction, and a plan to phase in completion of CPR instruction as a high school graduation requirement by 2015; provides that schools shall use for this purpose an instructional program developed by the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or other nationally recognized program that is based on the most current evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines for CPR. [Status: Ratified, Awaiting Governor's Signature]

HB 914: AED PLACEMENT IN STATE BUILDINGS (http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H914v3.pdf)

Creates a "Chain of Survival Task Force" to develop funding opportunities from the public/private sectors for the purchase of AEDs and to oversee the training of state employees in emergency medical response; places AEDs in all buildings and facilities that house state services and institutions, and provides training for state employees in those facilities. [Status: Ratified, Awaiting Governor's Signature]
CONTINUATION OF TOBACCO USE PREVENTION AND CESSATION PROGRAM FUNDING

Included in the 2012 state budget is funding for tobacco use prevention and cessation programs. The 2011 appropriations act funded these programs at $17.3 million using funds from the Master Settlement Agreement for one year only. Advocates worked to try and make this funding recurring at the $17.3 million level. Only $2.7 million in non-recurring funding for tobacco cessation and prevention programs was secured in the final 2012 state budget. This amounts to an 85% cut in the funding for these programs. We will look for strategies to rectify this unfortunate outcome next session and will need your help to prioritize it for our lawmakers.
HB 503: CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

(http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H503v4.pdf) Legislation passed the House in the 2011 legislative session that would have required the NC State Board of Education to adopt nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the school nutrition program that are consistent with national guidelines of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation or National Academy of Science Institute of Medicine. The Senate stripped the language from the bill and retitled the bill Parent Choice/Clarify Pre-K. The House did not concur with the Senate. [Status: Legislation Failed]
We could not have the level of success we've had without your help. Thank you for supporting policy efforts to help reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases and stroke!

Send your customizable letter now to thank legislators for CPR in Schools!

A Supremely Important Decision

Each and every one of us will need to access health care at some point in our lives and the Supreme Court’s decision today to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ensures that the progress being made toward protecting patients, improving quality care, and emphasizing prevention will continue.



As we look forward, it is important to recognize how the law is already making significant strides in helping millions of Americans access and afford the care they need, including:


• 61,000 patients with serious medical conditions, like heart disease and stroke, who have been able to access health care coverage through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIPs) established under the law.


• 86 million Americans who received at least one free preventive service last year, including cholesterol and blood pressure screening, nutrition counseling, and tobacco-cessation counseling (or counseling to quit smoking).


• 3.6 million Medicare beneficiaries who saved a total of $2.1 billion in 2011 on prescription drugs as the ‘donut hole’ closes.


• 3.1 million young adults who now have health care coverage because they are able to stay on their parents' plan until the age of 26.


And in 2014, 122 million Americans with pre-existing conditions will finally have peace of mind that they cannot be denied coverage or charged higher premiums based on their condition.


Additionally, the law has helped prioritize the fight against our nation’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers with the launch of the Million Hearts campaign. This initiative has brought together key government agencies, companies, and nonprofits, including the AHA/ASA, to work toward the goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next 5 years.


In the months and years ahead, the AHA/ASA looks forward to continuing to work with Congress, the Administration, the states, our fellow public health partners, and advocates like you to work toward quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

Learn more: http://www.healthcareandyou.org/

Calling All Heroes!

Time is almost up. The NC Legislature will be wrapping up the 2012 legislative session very soon. We can't let the Senate leave without taking action to ensure a new generation of lifesavers graduates from high school each year, ready responders who can jump in and make a life-and-death difference for someone in cardiac arrest. HB 837: Completion of CPR by Students Required would guarantee our students receive the 8th grade requirement for CPR instruction.
Call on your Senator today to be a Hero - send your letter now!

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of our nation's leading killers. If we lived in a world where most everyone knew CPR and was ready to help, we could double, even triple their chance of survival. CPR may be the most valuable lesson a student can learn. Give our kids the power and confidence to save a life when it matters most. Let's make sure they learn CPR before they graduate high school

Be a You're the Cure Super Hero: click here to send your customizable letter!

Video of the Month!

Act Now to Preserve Funding for Tobacco-Use Programs

The House Health and Human Services (HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee is working NOW to finalize the HHS appropriations proposal.  This is a pivotal time.  The House leadership expects to have the House version of the budget approved in just a few short weeks.  There is no time to waste!

Future funding for tobacco-use prevention and cessation programs is at risk since the Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) was eliminated in last year's budget.  The HWTF previously received 25 percent of the state's tobacco settlement funds and provided dedicated funding for the state's tobacco prevention and cessation programs.  Tell your representative to support recurring appropriations for these critical programs.

While last year's budget permitted the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to allocate $17.3 million to tobacco prevention and cessation programs for one year, this funding is currently non-recurring.  The programs face elimination by June 30 (in less than two months!) unless funding is renewed by the General Assembly this year.

With the House budget deadline approaching and subcommittees working now to prepare their proposals, now is the time for advocates to communicate with their House members about the effectiveness of NC's current tobacco-use prevention and cessation programs and the need to secure recurring funds of at least $17.3 million to sustain current efforts to keep our youth from starting to smoke.

Send your customizable letter now!


To learn more contact Betsy Vetter: betsy.vetter@heart.org 

Video of the Month!

Get Walking!

Walking is one of the best, easiest and cheapest things you can do to reduce risk factors for heart disease and stroke. And choosing where and with whom you walk helps.

The Buddy System
MyWalkingClub.org allows you to connect with others who share your goals and schedules. You can join an existing club, or start your own.

A Walking Club is a built-in support system to help you stick to your fitness routine. In fact, American adults are 76 percent more likely to walk if someone is counting
on them.

Get on the Right Path

Whether you walk in a group or by yourself, AHA Walking Paths can help you freshen up your routine. You can find more than 19,000 Walking Paths - covering more than 132,000 miles - at StartWalkingNow.org or through the Walking Paths app for iPhone and Android devices.
You can find a Walking Path for anywhere you want to go: a neighborhood or downtown, an airport or shopping mall, a nature park or amusement park, a school campus or workplace. They range in difficulty, from easy to moderate to high (most are easy), and vary in length, from a few blocks to a few hundred miles (about an average 7 miles).
You can narrow your search by ZIP code. As you scroll through the names, you'll find titles such as "Main Street Mile" or "Home Stretch." You can print them out, or follow them on your smartphone or tablet. You can also keep up with your progress by logging walks into our tracking tool. You might even be inspired to share a favorite path.
So get moving. You have nothing to lose - except maybe a few extra pounds! 

Be CPR Smart

In less than the time it takes to watch a 30 minute TV sitcom, we can give students the skills they need to help save someone’s life with CPR. Pledge your support for making CPR training a requirement for high school graduation. www.BeCPRsmart.org.

Video of the Month!

Save NC's Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Programs

Neil Dorsey (left) seen here with fellow advocate
Bob Smith and Rep. Van Braxton at the
2010 NC You're the Cure at the Capitol State Lobby Day

This week we celebrate Kick Butts Day, a day devoted to encouraging people not to smoke. Recently, the US Surgeon General released the 31st tobacco-related report. It describes the epidemic of tobacco use among youth and young adults. The study shows that almost no one starts smoking after age 25. Early cardiovascular damage is seen in most young smokers; those most sensitive are at greater risk of dying very young. Among youth who persist in smoking, a third will die prematurely from smoking.

North Carolina tobacco use prevention and cessation programs that began with the Health and Wellness Trust Fund will end June 30, 2012, unless our lawmakers act to continue these successful programs. Send an email now to your lawmakers urging them to continue the funding.

Neil Dorsey, Eastern NC AHA Advocacy Team Leader, told us why he is a passionate advocate for this issue:

"Tobacco prevention is always cheaper, and most effective, than treatment in the long run. Without cessation programs, we cannot adequately attack tobacco addiction. It is short sighted to not fund prevention and cessation when one looks at the long term cost, both fiscal and human. It is for these reasons that I advocate for full funding of prevention and cessation programming." 

Join Neil and tell your lawmakers that NC can't afford to let our tobacco control programs end.

Send your customizable letter now

Evolution of Food and Exercise

Video of the Month!

Mark Your Calendar!

Don’t Miss Our Upcoming Advocacy Events – Register Now!

Helping you be a better advocate: Advocacy Online Workshops:

Thursday, March 29th (7-8pm): Advocacy Online Training: North Carolina Civics Register here (http://yourethecure.org/eventpage.aspx?state=NC.)
Thursday, April 26th (7-8pm): Advocacy Online Training: What’s HOT for the 2012 Session Register here (http://yourethecure.org/eventpage.aspx?state=NC.)

Join Us in Raleigh for State Lobby Day and Meet with Your Lawmakers:

Tuesday & Wednesday, May 29-30, 2012: North Carolina You’re the Cure at the Capital State Lobby Day RSVP here (http://yourethecure.org/eventpage.aspx?state=NC.)


Important Dates for Your Calendar
Wednesday April 4, 2012: National Walking Day – Learn More: www.startwalkingnow.org.
Saturday April 21: Wilson Heart Walk
Wednesday May 16, 2012: First Day of Legislative Session
Saturday May 19, 2012: Greensboro Heart Walk
June 1 – 7, 2012 National AED/CPR Awareness Week

State's smoking ban has helped save lives by Hugh Holliman

The following editorial appeared in the High Point Enterprise: http://www.hpe.com/view/full_story/17507063/article-GUEST-COLUMN--State%E2%80%99s-smoking-ban-has-helped-save-lives?instance=main_article

GUEST COLUMN: State’s smoking ban has helped save lives


BY HUGH HOLLIMAN

As many may know, I am a two-time lung cancer survivor. My sister also died of lung cancer, but she never smoked. Sadly, both of us were exposed to secondhand smoke on a daily basis as we grew up in Alamance County. Back then, we didn’t know the dangers of secondhand smoke. Some of us might have thought it was annoying, but we really didn’t know how deadly even short-term exposure to other people’s cigarette smoke could be.

Now we know. For years, the U.S. surgeon general has warned that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that as little as 30 minutes of exposure can trigger a heart attack in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. Moreover, long-term exposure is linked to a number of types of cancer, as well as a variety of lung diseases, including asthma, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is why I worked so hard to enact the 2010 law that made North Carolina’s restaurants and bars smoke-free.

The Legislature did not undertake this issue lightly or irresponsibly. The enactment of the smoke-free law was the culmination of almost a decade of work on the part of legislators and health advocates to protect the health of the public.

Before my fellow legislators even considered the smoke-free law, we first put our own house in order. We made the floor of the North Carolina House of Representatives smoke-free. Believe it or not, there was a time in the not too distant past when the House Chamber was a real “smoke-filled room.” We then worked with the Senate to make all of the General Assembly buildings smoke-free and then expanded the law to include state government buildings and vehicles. Only when we were sure that smoke-free polices were fair and could be enforced did we push for the smoke-free restaurant and bar law.

It would have been wonderful if we could have made every indoor space smoke-free immediately, but politics is the “art of the possible,” and we knew enacting a law that protected as many people as possible, was the best thing we could do for public health. Now, almost 400,000 bar and restaurant workers go to work knowing that their hearts and lungs are protected by this new smoke-free policy.

Last year, our own North Carolina Division of Public Health issued a report noting a dramatic drop of 21 percent in heart attack hospital admissions since the law went into effect in 2010 and we are only beginning to see the positive impact of this law on the health of our citizens. In the years following California’s passage of a major tobacco control package, including a comprehensive smoke-free law, lung cancer rates in the state dropped five times more than the decline seen in other areas of the country. I firmly believe that we will see a similar benefit here in North Carolina.

In the short two years that the smoke-free law has been in effect, lives have been saved, workers’ health has been protected and millions of patrons can dine out or have a drink with friends without putting their health at risk. Our law is huge step in the right direction for our state’s health.

Former N.C. Rep. Hugh Holliman lives in Lexington.
Read more: High Point Enterprise - GUEST COLUMN State’s smoking ban has helped save lives

TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Join Us and Wear Red Friday

This Friday, February 3rd is Wear Red Day - our national call-to-action day to raise awareness that the number one killer of women is heart disease. You can help us make a difference on Wear Red Day by asking your lawmakers to join with us and wear red.


Fellow advocates Melanie Messick and Yolanda Dickerson have some thoughts for you on why this is so important:

"Cardiovascular disease is not just a man's disease. It is imperative that all women receive accurate information about the warning signs, early detection, proper diagnosis, and are offered quality treatment. I wear red in honor of all women who have embraced this message and taken the necessary steps to maintain a healthy heart. Send your message to your lawmakers asking them to wear red!"
-Melanie Messick, Co-chair, Triad Regional Advocacy Team

"Wear Red Day is a wonderful illustration of the power of simplicity. Anyone can show their support just by wearing something red. This sea of red can spark conversations that lead to more awareness, healthy lifestyle changes, and cures.These possibilities are why Wear Red Day is so important to me and my family. Act now and help us spread the message to your lawmakers."
-Yolanda Dickerson, Chair of the NC AHA Advocacy Coordinating Committee



Don't forget to check out the Wear Red Day challenge on Facebook - submit your photo! Wear your red proud and loud, and help get people talking about it.
Thank you for taking action to raise awareness about the number one killer of women, heart disease.

One Advocates Story: Meet Larry Calhoun

            Larry with his wife, Karen and grandchildren

Five years ago in June, I completed a 75 mile charity bike ride--a proud achievement and testimony to my level of fitness to complete the ride.   The next day I didn’t feel at my best and wrote it off to the heat and the fatigue from the day before and thought nothing more of it.  Then about  a week later I went to bed early not feeling well.  I awoke at three in the morning with a pain in my chest that felt like someone tightening a strap around it and had a VERY rapid heartbeat.  I drove myself to the local ER and called Karen, my fiancee, on the way.   About halfway there all the pain went away and my heart rate returned to normal.  I decided to continue on to the ER and have all this checked out.  The ER Doctor checked me out for all common heart issues since my symptoms clearly indicated a heart problem, but all the tests turned up negative.  Just as they were readying to release me, recommending that I go see my family practice doctor for more testing, the heart monitor and alarms started going off!!  Karen and I  were startled with all of the noise in my room and knew something drastic had happened.  The ER doctor rushed in and studied the heart monitor and declared confidently, “You have atrial fibrillation.  We will need to transfer you to the main hospital for further testing.”  Thus began my journey from a fit man in his 50s to a heart patient overnight.  Karen began a journey with me, but also resumed a journey she had previously traveled .   Her father had AFibs and had died from a stroke caused by his AFibs in 1991.  I was unaware her father’s  AFibs had caused his premature death, and it was awhile before she revealed this to me.  So that day we both began a journey with her family history and my experiences.    

Following my transfer from the ER, the Wake Med cardiologist assigned to my case ran  a battery of tests on my heart.  After my release from the hospital, I started regularly seeing a cardiologist.  After  three months of ever increasing medications after each new episode of AFibs, my cardiologist referred me to a local EP (Electrophysiologist).  After his involvement,  we were referred to another EP specialist at the Medical University of SC to have  an ablation preformed. I studied intently what was involved in the ablation, and with my background in computers and engineering understood the high tech nature of this still experimental procedure. Without research dollars these specialized procedures would not be available.   My ablation was preformed in Charleston and after extensive testing I was  declared cure of AFibs!!!  Only then did I find out about Karen's dad.

I knew that my procedure would not have been possible without intense research into atrial fibrillation and the work of organizations involved in heart health.  We knew that we needed to support the American Heart Association with our gifts and work.  Karen and I support the heart walk and make a yearly donation to the American Heart Association. 

This year while vacationing in Florida with friends, I again started feeling badly--light headiness, dizziness and fatigue with my heart racing at times.  We scheduled a visit to my local cardiologist and he determined that I fall in the 15% that experience relapses after having a successful ablation.  We decided that we needed to do more to help the American Heart Association in both their efforts to fund  research as well as in educating the public about heart disease.

We have both joined the “You're the Cure” team  (www.yourethecure.org)  of the American Heart Association.  We want to be able to impact our lives and those of the lives around us.  We are especially concerned that future generations do not have to suffer with heart disease, especially atrial fibrillation. We encourage all of you to contribute your gifts to them and join us in the You're the Cure team.  Future generations depend on us!