American Heart Association
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Building a culture of health across Louisiana
Louisiana is home. Pelicans and parishes. Cajun and Creole. Jazz, bluegrass, and gospel. Football and the bayou. Water from our shores and mighty river have brought us together from all corners of the world. Our histories and beliefs and lifestyles are as diverse as it gets. We are the definition of diversity. But that same diversity has created disparities in health. Louisiana got its name from a king, but the health of our state is far from regal. We have unsettling levels of obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, diabetes, and cardiovascular death. We have high crime, low graduation rates, and too many uninsured. We’re part of the Stroke Belt, one of eleven states with unusually high stroke rates. But we're hanging up the blues and tackling the social and environmental factors hurting our health most. It’s a long road ahead, and we're better when our hearts beat as one, so let's join forces and build a healthier tomorrow.
Health Measurements
Percent of adults with...
Lifestyle Risk Factors
Our state
Healthy For Good
You don’t need a guilt trip. We know you know. You want to be healthy... for good. And we’re here to help inspire you to create lasting change in your health and your life, one small step at a time. The approach is simple: Eat smart. Add color. Move more. Be well. Get Healthy For Good.
Focus on Quality
Patient outcomes improve when medical professionals apply the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatment guidelines. That’s the simple truth behind the obsession with continuous quality improvement. Our entire suite of programs can help advance your efforts farther and faster in the quest for ever-better care.
Closing Equity Gaps
EmPOWERED To Serve is a movement inspired by multicultural volunteers around the country who are passionate about driving change through health justice in their communities. These committed ambassadors are closing gaps in health equity through advocacy, policy, education, and social change.
Blood Pressure
Check. Change. Control.
Stress on your blood vessels from high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and other serious health threats. Use our free Check. Change. Control.™ online tool to track your readings and maintain a healthy heart!
Track Your Blood Pressure
For Professionals
Target: BP
The AHA and AMA joined forces with the launch of Target: BP™ to support physicians and care teams. We can track and maintain blood pressure goals for our patients by offering access to the latest research, tools, and resources.
Support Network™
Life is hard, but you're not alone. We're all in this together, right? Learn from locals like you or help others going through a tough time. Explore the chat forums, read survivor stories, seek and receive support. Because it's okay to lean on others who have been there too.
CPR Trainings
Emergencies leave us feeling helpless, but they don’t have to. Take two minutes to learn Hands-Only CPR™(link opens in new window) now. 70 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in homes. When a person has a cardiac arrest, immediate CPR can double or triple their chance of survival. Prepare to save a life, find a CPR course near you today.
State Policy Win
Beginning in August 2018, anyone who calls 9-1-1 in Louisiana for an acute event will receive high-quality CPR instructions from the dispatcher, who has been trained in telephone CPR.
Funding Louisiana Researchers
Research is a pillar of the American Heart Association’s lifesaving mission. Over the past 10 years, we’ve awarded 86 grants totaling $11.7 million to Louisiana area researchers in the ongoing quest to understand, improve, and treat cardiovascular disease and stroke. The results will assist doctors, hospitals, and other institutions to save lives in our own backyard and across the world.
Why Cholesterol Matters
There are few warning signs of high cholesterol, but the impact is real. By lowering your cholesterol, you'll reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Take control today. Manage your cholesterol levels by making healthy lifestyle choices and following a sound medical treatment plan.
Go Red For Women™
Go Red For Women encourages awareness of the issue of women and heart disease, and also action to save more lives. The movement harnesses the energy, passion and power women have to band together and collectively wipe out heart disease. Know your risk and receive tools to live a heart-healthy life.
Workplace Wellness: Improving the Health of Local Employees
On average, we spend more than half of our waking hours at work. That's why we've teamed up with iHeart Radio(link opens in new window) and local businesses to create a more physically active, health-conscious culture in the office. Learn more about Workplace Wellness, featuring healthy cooking demonstrations, CPR training and My Life Check evaluations - your heart will thank you.
Join our community efforts
Get Involved
Email us for more information on givingWhy I Support the AHA
“The work of the American Heart Association universally helps people from all walks of life and economic situations improve their daily lives. It brings me great pleasure to know that my volunteer and financial support efforts with the AHA over the past decade are helping to break the silence about the devastating impact heart disease and stroke is having on our families and our communities.”
–Martin Davis, an American Heart Association donor
Regional leadership
2018-2019 Greater Southeast Affiliate Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
Robert Sanchez, M.D., FACC
St. Petersburg, Florida
Cardiologist, The Health and Vascular Institute
CHAIR
Sally Jackson
Cape Coral, Florida
PRESIDENT-ELECT
James Kirklin, M.D.
Birmingham, Alabama
Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Director, Kirklin Institute for Research in Surgical Outcomes (KIRSO)
Department of Surgery, UAB/University of Alabama at Birmingham
CHAIR-ELECT
Marlin Hutchens
Orlando, Florida
Chief Global Officer, SMI Corporation
SECRETARY
Marcella Roberts, Esq
Birmingham, Alabama
Vice President of Development, Hollyhand Development, LLC
VICE PRESIDENT
Andre McShan, M.D.
Lincoln, Alabama
Medical Director, St. Vincent's at Honda Manufacturing
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Kevin Maher, M.D.
Atlanta, Georgia
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine
Director, Cardiac Intensive Care
Co-Director, Center for Pediatric Innovation
Clinical Director, Center for Pediatric Nanomedicine
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
J. Donald Fancher
Atlanta, Georgia
Senior Partner, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, LLP
MEMBERS
Stephanie Anderson, CPA, MBA
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Executive VP/COO of Woman's Hospital
Shelly Church, CFP
Naples, Florida
Senior Vice President, Investments, Raymond James
Angel M. Davila, M.D., FACEP, ABDA
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Emergency Room Medical Director, HIMA San Pablo Cupey
David Dill
Brentwood, Tennessee
President and COO, LifePoint
Jeff Eakins
Tampa, Florida
Superintendent, Hillsborough County Public Schools
Kiersten Espaillat, DNP, APN
Nashville, Tennessee
Stroke Coordinator, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Charles Griffin
Ridgeland, Mississippi
Attorney, Butler Snow LLP
Michael Griffin
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy, Adventist Health System
Kathleen Kennedy, PharmD
New Orleans, Louisiana
Professor & Dean, College of Pharmacy at Xavier University Louisiana
Rhonda Mims
Tampa, Florida
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
Dharmesh Patel, M.D.
Memphis, Tennessee
Cardiologist, Stern Cardiovascular Foundation
Priscilla E. Pemu, M.D., MSCR, FACP
Atlanta, Georgia
Professor, Vice Chair (Research) Department of Medicine
Medical Director, Clinical Research Center
Morehouse School of Medicine
Pamela R. Rama, M.D.
Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Cardiologist, Baptist Heart Specialists
Frank Scholl, M.D.
Hollywood, Florida
Chief, Pediatric & Congenital Heart Surgery
Chief, Pediatric Heart Institute
Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
Rebecca M. Sugg, M.D., FAHA
Jackson, Mississippi
Interventional Vascular Neurologist
Director, University of Mississippi Medical Center Comprehensive Stroke Center
Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Radiology and Surgery
James Weyhenmeyer, Ph.D.
Atlanta, Georgia
Vice President, Research and Economic Development
Professor, Neuroscience and Biology, Georgia State University
Keith Wolken
Nashville, Tennessee
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, SMS Holdings Corporation