Recognizing February 2019 as "American Heart Month" and recognizing the American Heart Association for their work on educating Philadelphians about the risks of heart disease.

WHEREAS, Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Philadelphia taking the lives of over 3,400 citizens each year; and

WHEREAS, About one-third of adults living in Philadelphia suffer from hypertension, or abnormally high blood pressure, nearly half of those are African American males; and

WHEREAS, Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women nationally which is why the American Heart Association (AHA) started the “Go Red for Women” initiative to bring attention to the unknown risks and symptoms of heart disease while empowering women to increase their awareness through education and lifestyle changes; and

WHEREAS, Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) has also been a focus of the AHA’s work, in their 2019 published

Hypertension

they outlined the risks for pregnant women and the need for early diagnosis of PPCM to ensure full heart function is restored postpartum; and

WHEREAS, About 80% of cardiac events can be prevented through education and lifestyle changes and the American Heart Association has dedicated resources into educating the public on lifestyle changes to help prevent heart disease while also training Philadelphians on CPR and AED use in order to help save anyone who experiences cardiac arrest; and

WHEREAS, The American Heart Association partners with local organizations to provide community outreach in order to help Philadelphians detect and identify cardiac arrest, risks from heart disease, and risk factors that contribute to both of these life altering health issues; and

WHEREAS, Through continued education and the research of the AHA, Philadelphia can work to reduce the number of heart disease related deaths; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That February 2019 will be recognized as “American Heart Month” and we recognize the work of the American Heart Association on educating Philadelphians on the risks of heart disease.

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