North Carolina

The American Heart Association is committed to driving equitable health impact in North Carolina through five key priority areas: women, readiness, tobacco and vaping, patients, and healthy living. Equity is always at the center of our work, and it will continue to guide all that we do.

Through our focus on these key impact areas, and with collaboration among local organizations, sponsors, businesses, and others that serve the community, we are working to improve the health and well-being of North Carolina citizens while saving and improving countless lives.

Throughout the state of North Carolina, we’ve seen our community impact work grow, including efforts around creating avenues for greater access to care, expanding healthy food access and education, building a network of first responders through CPR kits in schools, supporting blood pressure screenings and education, and educating on the dangers of tobacco and vaping.

People are counting on us as never before. We at the American Heart Association, along with our supporters, will drive change, and we will be relentless.

Advocacy has had a mission-critical role in the Association's work for more than 40 years. Our legislative and regulatory priorities help to mitigate risk factors and protect survivors in communities across the country. We support the enactment of evidence-based public policies that lead to longer, healthier lives.

Public policy advocacy is an essential strategy used by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to affect necessary and sustainable policy, system and environmental changes that help Americans build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Trusted Spaces, Healthy Babies is a multi-agency collaborative in Guilford County focused on maternal health and cardiovascular health for reducing infant mortality, and early childhood development prenatally to age three for increasing school readiness and life success. Infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday. Eighty percent of brain growth occurs in children in the first three years of life.

The American Heart Association, Every Baby Guilford, March of Dimes, and The Guilford Basics with Ready for School Ready for Life are proud co-recipients of a grant from The Cemala Foundation focused on cardiovascular health and maternal health to reduce infant mortality in Guilford County. Trusted Spaces, Healthy Babies is being implemented in up to 13 barbershops and beauty salons with health messages for new and expecting moms and dads to be delivered through trusted voices of barbers and stylists. Mothers will also be able to access health and parenting resources, including blood pressure monitors, scales, book nooks, and more.

Trusted Spaces, Healthy Babies aims to address the drivers of infant mortality while empowering mothers of Color in trusted community spaces. Programs such as Trusted Spaces, Healthy Babies supports mothers and fathers, and contributes to raising healthy, smart babies.

Participating Trusted Spaces, Healthy Babies barbershops & beauty salons:

• Hot Seat Studio Salon (Lead Barber)
• United Barbershop (Lead Barber)
• Glenwood Barr-ber Shop (Lead Barber)
• Shear Eminence Hair Salon
• Personal Treasures Salon and Beauty Supply
• Simple Designs Hair Studio
• Urban Renaissance By Prestige
• Legacy Stylez Barbershop
• Simply Blessed Barber and Beauty
• Cali Styles Barber and Nail Studio
• Glam Looks Beauty Bar
• Tight Cut Barber & Salon

Classes in the Triad

The American Heart Association is focusing on nutrition security and nutrition education throughout the Triad. Thanks to Healthy Blue, the Simple Cooking with Heart curriculum is teaching families in our community how to cook and eat healthy on a shoestring budget. Courtesy of The Earl & Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation, the American Heart Association's Simple Cooking with Heart program is working with community-based programs in High Point to provide healthy cooking classes and connect families with food and cooking supplies. Triad community-based programs may request to host a Simple Cooking with Heart series of healthy cooking classes. To learn how you can cook healthy for your family, register to attend a series of free healthy cooking classes.

Please complete this interest form to register for a complimentary Simple Cooking with Heart series of classes or to request to host a series of healthy cooking classes.

For more ideas for healthy recipes you can try at home, visit www.heart.org/recipes.

Are you doing your part to keep the Queen City healthy? Healthy Charlotte, a popular coalition of leaders and organizations dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our city, is back in action and we need your help! Learn about the “refresh” of this important initiative and how you can get involved in improving your health and the health of your friends, family and workforce.

Communities know their needs and often have ideas and solutions to improve the health of their community. The American Heart Association, with support from Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, is working with and funding community leaders to implement their ideas through mini grants to promote heart health in the Triangle (Wake, Durham, and Orange counties), Triad (Guilford and Forsyth counties), and Charlotte (Mecklenburg, Gaston, and Union counties). Community partners are eligible for mini-grants ranging from $2,500 - $10,000 to support heart healthy policies and environments. Community members, including individuals, churches, senior centers, community health centers, housing authority, historically black colleges and universities, community colleges, city and county government, hospitals, employers, and others are welcome to apply.