Starting the week of April 12, the American Heart Association is asking advocates in Massachusetts to focus their efforts on one of our key issues – raising tobacco taxes and increasing funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. We have created a Tobacco Taxes and Funding Toolkit that will help you build an advocacy campaign
Every day, Americans’ lives are touched by heart disease and stroke. Whether it’s our own health that is impacted or the health of family members, friends or co-workers, there is a lot at stake when it comes to fighting our nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. We all have the power to make a
Volunteer Shuron Abdullah, a retired registered respiratory therapist with three-decades of experience shares her advocacy around protecting telehealth, as told to April Dawn Shinske. Shuron is an American Heart Association volunteer and has been a Basic Life Support/Heartsaver instructor. “I’m cold. I’m cold.” The pleading words of my late father-in-law, Pat, during in-person visits to
Advocates Say the Tobacco Tax Increase Will Save Lives and Increase Revenue Today, the Maryland Senate voted to override the governor’s veto of HB 732, the final step in enacting the state’s first cigarette tax increase in almost a decade. The policy includes a $1.75 per pack increase on cigarettes and, for the first time,
This past summer, the Massachusetts Senate voted to support a bill that would ensure stroke patients get the best treatment as quickly as possible. The bill, which passed in a 40-0 vote, would allow first responders to transport stroke patients to the facilities best-equipped to treat them, rather than the closest, ensuring they immediately get
Tobacco Free Mass presented its Blake Cady Award for Excellence in Tobacco Control this year to Allyson Perron Drag of the American Heart Association and Marc Hymovitz of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. The pair are being recognized for their outstanding work on landmark tobacco prevention and cessation legislation and for their tireless
The American Heart Association launched a digital ad campaign in Massachusetts this week to raise awareness of the dangers of sugary drink consumption and advocate for a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Over the next several months, the Association will be running ads on two online outlets that cover Massachusetts politics — Politico’s Massachusetts Playbook and the MASSter
Every day, Americans’ lives are touched by heart disease and stroke. Whether it is our own health that is impacted or the lives of family members, friends, or co-workers, there is a lot at stake when it comes to fighting our nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. But we all have the power to
Kids in Prince George’s County, Maryland are about to get healthier meals and drinks when they order from kids’ meals menus in the county. On the afternoon of November 17, 2020, the Prince George’s County Council unanimously approved legislation that will make it easier for families and their children to choose healthier food and drink
Boston’s recently passed budget includes several investments to address health equity in the city, including new bike lanes, reconstructed sidewalks and discounted fruits and vegetables for residents who receive government food assistance. These investments are just some of the initiatives the American Heart Association advocated for to improve the health of the city’s 700,000 residents