Heart health and air quality: What’s the connection?

In This Issue Tools You Can Use Million Hearts® in the Community The Science of Million Hearts® Air quality as a risk factor for heart attack? Do This! Quick Fact

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Tools You Can Use New Million Hearts® website on physical activity promotes community programs and resources. Physical activity is one of the most effective ways to prevent and manage heart disease, but just half of U.S. adults get enough. Take advantage of resources and information about community-based programs to boost physical activity in your community.  Vermont Department of Health releases Hypertension Management Toolkit. The toolkit uses Lean quality improvement tools and methods to support evidence-based strategies that improve blood pressure control. A new statewide peer learning collaborative will share best practices to keep the toolkit updated. Million Hearts® Tobacco Cessation Protocol now available on the go. Find the CDC Protocol for Identifying and Treating Patients Who Use Tobacco on Epocrates, a free website and app for clinicians. (Registration may be required.)  A visual air quality alert makes air awareness easy. The EPA’s Air Quality Flag Program provides instructions on using physical and digital flags at your business or online to alert people to daily air quality. New EPA toolkit details the link between heart problems and air pollution. Use the Healthy Heart Toolkit to take steps to protect yourself and your community, sign up for air alerts, and download public education materials.   Million Hearts® in the Community The District of Columbia Department of Health’s Million Hearts® program builds a framework for success. Learn how D.C.’s Million Hearts® program’s strong partnerships, data monitoring, and targeted interventions have reduced CV disease morbidity and mortality in the nation’s capital. Find your niche when partnering with Million Hearts®. Hospitals, employers, and clinical care teams in communities across the nation have tailored unique approaches to keeping people healthy, optimizing care, and helping priority populations. Learn how they did it—and then craft your own plan. Million Hearts® continues engagement to find patients with hypertension “hiding in plain sight.”  How many people in your practice have undiagnosed high blood pressure? Learn how to establish criteria for finding people with hypertension, implement evidence-based strategies to treat them, and improve their CV outcomes.  Pilot program with National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) shows progress in fighting hypertension. In honor of National Health Center Week (Aug. 13–19), take the time to learn how Million Hearts® partner NACHC is making strides in blood pressure control.  The Science of Million Hearts® Physicians experienced in health information technology are more likely to achieve 70% blood pressure control. (Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association) Lowering prices of fruits and vegetables could reduce the number of deaths from CV disease. (PLOS Medicine) A cost-benefit analysis shows how indoor air filtration may reduce mortality due to particulate matter. (International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health) Air quality as a risk factor for heart attack? It may sound strange, but worsening air quality puts people at risk for heart attacks and other cardiovascular (CV) conditions, especially among people who are already vulnerable. More than 1.5 million people in the United States suffer from heart attacks and strokes each year. Millions more have high blood pressure or heart rhythm disorders, putting this priority population especially at risk from particle pollution’s effects. Million Hearts® is dedicated to driving implementation of evidence-based public health and clinical strategies that help prevent CV events. With that in mind, we recently launched a webpage to spread awareness about particle pollution and CV health, with resources to help track local air quality. Use the resources in this newsletter to learn about the connection between heart health and particle pollution to help keep people healthy this summer and beyond. —Janet Wright, MD, FACC Executive Director, Million Hearts® Do This! Share the EPA Air Quality Index with networks and people at risk.     Particle pollution puts people with CV conditions at higher risk for heart problems or stroke. Post this tool on your websites and social media so people can check air quality before they go outside for physical activity. Those at risk should avoid going outside on days ranked “orange” or worse and instead choose indoor versions of their favorite activities. Quick Fact One in three American adultshas heart or blood vessel disease and is at higher risk from air pollution, which can trigger heart attacks and strokes and arrhythmias.