Dear Friends,
What an amazing year we had together creating heathier lives throughout Connecticut!
I am honored to serve alongside our talented staff, passionate Board of Directors, community leaders and supporters to address barriers to health equity and bring the American Heart Association’s mission to life, to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.
This past year, thanks to our wonderful supporters and volunteers, we were able to provide resources and tools to educate families, engage employees in wellness programs, advocate on critical policy issues, and educate our communities to save lives. Together we addressed high blood pressure and nutrition security in under-resourced neighborhoods to make a meaningful impact and partnered with hospitals and health systems to improve patient outcomes across cardiovascular and stroke focus areas.
Some of the highlights from this past year include collaborating with qualified health centers to establish managed self-monitoring blood pressure Initiatives, expanding care to integrate lifestyle modification interventions into protocols such as weight management and physical activity, and improving survival rates with Hands-Only CPR. We were in 217 schools across the Connecticut, with over 85,889 students participating in our Kids Heart Challenge initiative, delivering heart-healthy physical activity and challenges.
Since 2020, we have provided more than $12 million in Association research funded grants, with science-based discoveries providing healthier outcomes and hope for future generations here in Connecticut. Our Heart Walks engaged employees, families and communities to come together and raise critical resources to help fund new scientific discovers, while our signature women’s campaign, the Go Red for Women movement educated women that cardiovascular disease is their greatest health risk while empowering them to take-action through prevention.
This coming year, the American Heart Association will be celebrating its Centennial anniversary as a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. As we look ahead into the next Century, we know that while we have made great progress, our work is not done. We are prepared to meet the evolving needs of our communities, and it is because of you, our dedicated volunteers and supporters, that we are able to bring healthier outcomes to the 3.6 million people who live in our great state.
I invite you to take a look at the tremendous impact that has been made in Connecticut over the last year.
Connecticut Impact Report -23-24
With bold hearts, I look forward to continuing to save more lives… together.
Sincerely,
Adria Giordano
Executive Director
Connecticut