The Office of Health Information and Improvement works with stakeholders across Philadelphia to collect and share data that provides a comprehensive picture of Philadelphia’s health. The Office also supports the work of the Department of Public Health and its partners in reducing preventable diseases and health disparities.
Find out where you can get free screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, body mass index and nutrition.
Million Hearts™ is a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over five years. As part of the initiative, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is working with partners across the city to reduce heart attacks and strokes by at least 5000 over the next 5 years.
Heart disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Heart disease is responsible for 1 of every 3 deaths in the country. In Philadelphia, heart disease and stroke are the 1st and 3rd leading causes of death. In the last five years, approximately 23,000 Philadelphians have died of these diseases.
The Million Hearts™ initiative was launched in September 2011 by the Department of Health and Human Services and co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The initiative brings together communities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies, and private-sector partners from across the country to fight heart disease and stroke.
- Improve access to effective care.
- Improve knowledge about the "ABCS" (Aspirin for people at risk, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management and Smoking cessation)—four steps to address the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and help to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
- Focus clinical attention on the prevention of heart attack and stroke.
- Empower people to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle.
- Improve the prescription and adherence to appropriate medications for the ABCS.
Preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes over five years will require the work and commitment to change from all of us. Each of us can take steps to ensure we reach this goal. Be one in a Million Hearts™ by pledging to get involved and see how your actions can make a positive difference.
Find out more about the Million Hearts™ initiative in Philadelphia.
For more information on how Philadelphia is participating in the Million Hearts™ initiative, contact Claudia Siegel at 215-686-5193 or email.
- Million Hearts™ Press Release
- Million Hearts™ Fact Sheet
- Million Hearts™ Tools
- Strategies to Reduce the Prevalence of Leading Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association
- The Million Hearts™ Initiative—Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes
(New England Journal of Medicine)