Dear Friends and Supporters of the American Heart Association:

In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week, I want to personally take this opportunity to acknowledge the backbone of our organization – YOU! Without our dedicated, relentless and passionate volunteers we would not be in a position to advance the critical mission of the American Heart Association.

Back in 1924, just a handful of volunteer physicians and scientists created this powerful organization. Almost 100 years later, we are lucky enough to say that we work with 40 million volunteers across the nation and the globe. During this unprecedented time, we need our volunteers more than ever. Your support and belief in our mission can carry us through these challenging times. Enjoy our special THANK YOU message below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t6eELaab5E


It is our commitment to keep you updated on our efforts to address the challenges that our neighbors are facing, the role you can play to stand beside us, and wellness tips to utilize and share as we all manage through this time of elevated stress and anxiety. For ongoing news and updates from AHA about coronavirus, please visit heart.org/en/news/coronavirus-news

In the meantime, please take care of yourself and your loved ones.

We appreciate all you do for our lifesaving mission!

Sincerely,

David Morris
Executive Director, Delaware
David.Morris@heart.org

Americans who live in counties with high poverty rates are more likely to die from heart failure compared to people living in more affluent areas, new research says.

The prevalence of diabetes and obesity largely explained the link, said the researchers, whose work was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.  

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood. For each 1% increase in a county's poverty status, researchers saw heart failure deaths increase by about 5 per 100,000 people.

About two-thirds of the relationship between poverty and heart failure deaths was explained by the prevalence of diabetes and obesity, said the researchers, who were led by Dr. Khansa Ahmad at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

They reviewed data about heart failure, poverty, education, unemployment and health insurance status from 3,155 counties. Data was pulled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Census Bureau databases.

The link between poverty and heart failure deaths was strongest in the South. The study saw a difference of approximately 250 deaths per 100,000 people between the poorest and the most affluent counties.

"This study underscores the disparities in health care faced by many Americans," said Dr. Jennifer Ellis in a news release. Ellis, who was not involved in the new study, is chief of cardiothoracic surgery at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in New York and is an adviser to the American Heart Association's EmPOWERED to Serve, which addresses health justice.

"As health care providers, we need to understand the barriers to a healthy lifestyle faced by patients, such as living in areas with no access to healthy food or safe places to walk."

If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org.

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/09/04/poorer-counties-have-higher-heart-failure-death-rates

The 33rd Annual Southern Delaware heart ball is coming up quick. This event is black tie optional but will be a vintage Las Vegas feel. Tickets are on sale until may 29th. 
To get tickets to please click: Here

https://www.facebook.com/ahadelaware/videos/428197281297192/

Want a fun lunch to bring to work tomorrow? Here is our Mason Jar Taco Salad w/ Avocado-Cilantro Dressing.

Here is video with the receipe
https://www.facebook.com/ahadelaware/videos/1231332093707423/

Your heart and your taste buds will thank you!