AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation Awards over $1.16 million to Innovative Heart Health Programs

Posted by AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation on December 18, 2018

Eleven community-based heart health programs with innovative approaches to help prevent and control heart disease received grants totaling over $1.16 million from the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program.

For the ninth year, the Foundation is awarding grants to nonprofit organizations addressing the challenges of preventing and controlling cardiovascular disease by conducting programs for at-risk groups and tailoring those activities and information to the needs and culture of the people they are serving. The programs focus on screenings, education, disease management and access to healthcare and reach out to underserved people of various ages and ethnic backgrounds through clinics, community centers, schools and more. Techniques such as support groups, mobile health units, grocery store tours and high school interns serving as community health workers are utilized to engage and support program participants.

This year’s eight repeat-funded organizations also received funding to support their dissemination efforts to share lessons learned from their Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM-funded programs through conference presentations, program toolkits and publications and by mentoring three newly-funded organizations to help them successfully launch and manage their programs.

“We are proud of the innovative work our Grant Awardees are doing in their communities to help improve cardiovascular health, as cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death in our nation,” said James W. Blasetto, MD, MPH, FACC, chairman of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. “By supporting their programs and dissemination efforts, we hope to broaden the reach and impact of the Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program beyond just those organizations we fund.”

Since 2010, the Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program has awarded nearly $23 million in grants to 52 organizations nationwide. More than 1.6 million people have been reached by the program and over 59,000 people have had their heart health progress tracked through Grant Awardees’ programs funded by Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM. As a result, these people are making lifestyle changes that help lead to better health and lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Participant results include improvements such as losing weight, reducing body mass index, lowering blood pressure and hemoglobin A1C levels, making healthier food choices and exercising more.

Organizations can learn more about the Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program and lesson learned at www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation.