Tell Governor Dayton Minnesota can’t afford NOT to Fund SHIP!

Minnesota is a leader in focusing on prevention efforts through legislation that passed in 2008. The Minnesota Legislature and Governor Pawlenty started the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) in 2008 that promised to bring down health care costs by addressing obesity and tobacco use. By addressing these two primary preventable risk factors for heart disease, Minnesota could see a 5% decrease in health care costs by 2015 through the full implementation of SHIP. Who wouldn’t want to see health care costs go down by over $2 billion by 2015?

The program is up and running in every county in the state promoting physical activity and access to healthier food in workplaces, schools and communities, and reducing tobacco use. But this program is in jeopardy. Please take one minute to help us keep this program going by following the link below to send Governor Dayton a letter urging him to fully fund SHIP.

Ask Governor Dayton to Fully Fund the SHIP Program for a Healthier Minnesota

The Governor will present his budget to the legislature in a few days so he needs to hear from you TODAY—keep the vision of a healthier Minnesota; focus on preventing heart disease; fully fund SHIP. Your action today will ensure that many more Minnesotans live to see another day, children have a healthier start at life, and healthier food choices and opportunities for physical activity are available to every person in our communities.

Ask Governor Dayton to Fully Fund the SHIP Program for a Healthier Minnesota

Thank you for your continued support!

Angie celebrates a special anniversary on Wear Red Day

Happy National Wear Red Day Minnesota! All across the country, people have been wearing red today to show their support for Go Red For Women and to help raise awareness of heart disease. One of our You’re the Cure Advocates right here in Minnesota is wearing red for a very important reason today.

After being a healthy 25 year old woman, Angie found herself facing a scary diagnosis – idiopathic cardiomyopathy, a rare but serious condition that causes the heart muscle to become inflamed and to work less efficiently. Over the next six years, Angie would be implanted with two ICDs (implantable cardioverter defibrillators), be listed on and off the transplant list, work with doctors to be put on the correct medications and become a proud mother to her son. As things finally started to calm down for Angie, she began having issues with her stomach. After undergoing many tests and having her gallbladder removed, doctors determined it was her heart causing the problems. At the end of last April, Angie was admitted to the hospital and put on the transplant list for a new heart. After months in the hospital, Angie received a new heart on July 4th. Since her surgery, she is able to be a mom and wife again. She is able to play with her son and is not in constant need of care from her husband. Today, on National Wear Red Day, Angie is celebrating 7 months with her new heart!

Happy Anniversary Angie! Thank you for being an active advocate in Minnesota, especially on women’s heart issues.

We hope all of you Minnesotans had a great Wear Red Day! Don't forget to register for our upcoming Heart on the Hill Day at the Capitol on April 7, 2011.

Do you have a story to share? Log-in or register and tell us your story here!

Calling all Minnesota residents who like to breathe!

The fight against big tobacco in Minnesota isn’t over. In the last two weeks, things have been heating up in St. Paul and two credible threats to the Freedom to Breathe Act have been introduced in the House and the Senate. We can’t afford to go back; we must protect Minnesota’s health. It’s time for you to Raise it for Health!

Join us on April 7, 2011 for our Heart on the Hill Day at the Capitol. Learn about protecting your family and community from the tobacco industry, rally in the Rotunda and meet with your lawmakers urging them to:

· Significantly increase the price of all tobacco products,

· Treat “little cigars” like cigarettes to protect kids,

· Protect the Freedom to Breathe Act.

Let us know you want to make your voice heard! Reserve your spot for the Heart on the Hill Day at the Capitol today.

Do you know others interested in raising their voice to keep Minnesota healthy? Invite them to join the event! Just simply forward this posting. Thank you for your continued support!

Ask Minnesota Legislators to Wear Red on Friday, Feb. 4th!

It's February 1, which marks the start of American Heart Month! There are exciting things happening across Minnesota and our nation this month as we work to raise awareness about America's number one killer - heart disease.

Join us in wearing red this Friday, February 4, for National Wear Red Day.

Ask Your Legislators to Wear Red on Friday, Feb. 4!

A recent report from the American Heart Association stated that the cost of treating cardiovascular disease will TRIPLE over the next 20 years unless we are focused on education, prevention and advancing positive public policy changes. That is why it's important that you Tell Your Legislators to Wear Red on Friday, Feb. 4 and work on public policies that will make Minnesota - and our nation - healthier for all of us!

Make sure to check out our Go Red Connect Events happening in your area this week.

Thank you for your continued support!

Your MN Advocacy Team,

Anne Simaytis, Justin Bell and Rachel Callanan

Nancy Brown: CVD cost will triple in next 20 years

The cost to treat heart disease in the United States will triple by 2030, according to an American Heart Association policy statement presented by Nancy Brown on Jan. 24 in Washington, D.C. The statement calls for effective prevention strategies to limit the growing cost burden, which accounts for 17 percent of national health expenditures.

The projected $545 billion increase is due in part to an aging population, according to the report. Cardiovascular disease is more prevalent in people older than 65. Another cost factor is an increase in risk factors such as obesity.

"If there's a silver lining in these figures, it is that they are projections," Brown said. "Unhealthy behaviors and unhealthy environments have contributed to a tidal wave of risk factors among many Americans. Early intervention and evidence-based public policies are absolute musts to significantly reduce alarming rates of obesity, hypertension, tobacco use and cholesterol levels."
According to the statement, 36.9 percent of Americans already have some form of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and other conditions. By 2030 this is expected to reach 40.5 percent.

Paul Heidenreich, M.D., chair of the AHA expert panel issuing the statement, said the study didn't double count costs for patients with multiple cardiovascular conditions. Heidenreich added that the study "didn't assume that we will continue to make new discoveries to reduce heart disease." If our ability to prevent and treat heart disease stays where we are right now, he said, the projected cost increase will occur just through demographic changes in the population.

Watch video clips from Nancy Brown's Natl. Press Club presentation.