As your constituent and as an American Heart Association You're the Cure advocate, thank you for being the champion of CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. I urge you to continue your steadfast support of this competitively awarded program by doing everything in your power to include a $20 million increase for this life-saving initiative in the fiscal year 2011 health appropriations bill. Currently, CDC spends on average only 16 cents per person each year on heart disease and stroke prevention.

Specifically, a funding increase of $20 million will improve our State's chances of moving from mere planning (capacity building) to actual implementation of Mississippi-tailored heart disease and stroke prevention programs. States receive an average of $1 million a year for basic program implementation.

Mississippi has been stalled in the planning phase of this program for a decade and is ready to move on to program implementation. However, insufficient federal resources for this program have held our State back.

CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program helps Americans, particularly underserved populations, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, learn heart disease and stroke signs and symptoms, improve emergency response and quality of care, and end treatment disparities. Prevention works. A recent study found people who avoid high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes, do not smoke, and maintain a healthy weight may add 10 years to life.

Heart disease, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease remain a major cause of permanent disability, the No. 1 killer in our State, and cost our country more than any other disease. However, Mississippi does not have the resources to effectively fight these diseases. Prevention is the best way to protect the people of our State from cardiovascular diseases and to ease the huge financial burden of these often deadly and disabling diseases.

Thank you in advance for your help.

As your constituent and as an American Heart Association's You're the Cure advocate, I urge you to ask for a $20 million increase for CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program in your communications to the chairman and ranking member of the health appropriations subcommittee, outlining your fiscal year 2011 funding priorities. Currently, CDC spends on average only 16 cents per person each year on heart disease and stroke prevention.

Specifically, a funding increase of $20 million will enable the CDC to support the nine (9) states that still do not have a Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. In addition, it will allow the agency to elevate additional states from planning (capacity building) to actual implementation of essential prevention activities. Many of these states have been stalled in the planning phase for these programs for many years---some for nearly a decade---and are ready to move forward.

Our State is one of the 14 fortunate ones that receives funding for this initiative at the basic program implementation level that allows us to actually help Americans prevent and control heart disease, stroke, and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program helps Americans, particularly underserved populations, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, learn signs and symptoms, improve emergency response and quality of care, and end treatment disparities. Prevention works. A recent study found that people who avoid high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes, do not smoking, and maintain a healthy weight may add 10 years to life.

Cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of permanent disability, the No. 1 killer in our state, and cost our country more than any other disease. Prevention is the best way to protect the people of our State from cardiovascular diseases and to ease the huge financial burden of these often deadly and disabling diseases.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Heart disease and stroke. You're the Cure.

As your constituent and as an American Heart Association's You're the Cure advocate, I thank you for being a champion of CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. Thanks to your leadership in securing increased funding for this life-saving program, now Iowa receives $463,288 for this initiative. I urge you to continue your steadfast support of this program by doing everything in your power to include a $20 million increase for this life-saving program in the fiscal year 2011 health appropriations bill. Currently, CDC spends on average only 16 cents per person each year on heart disease and stroke prevention nationwide.

Specifically, a funding increase of $20 million will enhance our State's chances of being elevated from mere planning to actual implementation of Iowa-tailored heart disease and stroke prevention initiatives. States receive an average of $1 million a year for basic program implementation.

CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program helps Americans, particularly underserved populations, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, learn signs and symptoms, improve emergency response and quality of care, and end treatment disparities. Prevention works. A study found that people who avoid high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes, do not smoke, and maintain a healthy weight may add 10 years to life.

Heart disease, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease remain a major cause of permanent disability, the No. 1 killer in our State, and cost our country more than any other disease. However, Iowa does not have the resources to effectively fight these diseases. Prevention is the best way to protect the people of our State from cardiovascular disease and to ease the huge financial burden of these often deadly and disabling diseases.

Heart disease and stroke. You're the Cure.

As your constituent and as an American Heart Association's You're the Cure advocate, I urge you to ask for a $20 million increase for CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program in your communications to the chairman and ranking member of the health appropriations subcommittee, outlining your fiscal year 2011 funding priorities. Currently, CDC spends on average only 16 cents per person each year on heart disease and stroke prevention.

Specifically, a funding increase of $20 million will enhance our State's chances of securing money for CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. Our State is one of only nine (9) states that does not receive money for this life-saving program. During the last national competition, CDC approved our State's application, but we were denied funding because of insufficient federal resources.

CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program helps Americans, particularly underserved populations, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, learn signs and symptoms, improve emergency response and quality of care, and end treatment disparities. Prevention works. A recent study found that people who avoid high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes, do not smoke, and maintain a healthy weight can add 10 years to life.

Heart disease, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease remain a major cause of permanent disability, the No. 1 killer in our State, and cost our country more than any other disease. Prevention is the best way to protect the people of our State from cardiovascular diseases and ease the huge financial burden of these often deadly and disabling diseases.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Heart Disease and Stroke. You're the Cure.

As your constituent and as an American Heart Association's You're the Cure advocate, I urge you to do everything in your power to include a $20 million increase for the CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program in the fiscal year 2011 health funding bill. Currently, CDC spends on average only 16 cents per person each year on heart disease and stroke prevention.

Specifically, a funding increase of $20 million will enhance our State's chances of being elevated from mere planning to actual implementation of heart disease and stroke prevention initiatives. States receive an average of $1 million a year for basic program implementation.

Our State has been stuck in the planning phase for many years and has long been ready to move on to program implementation. However, insufficient federal resources for this life-saving program have held us back.

CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program helps Americans, particularly underserved populations, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, learn heart disease and stroke signs and symptoms, improve emergency response and quality of care, and end treatment disparities. Prevention works. A recent study found people who avoid high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes, do not smoke, and maintain a healthy weight may add 10 years to life.

Heart disease, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease remain a major cause of permanent disability, the No. 1 killer in our State, and cost our country more than any other disease. However, our State does not have the resources necessary to effectively fight these diseases. Prevention is the best way to protect the people of our State from cardiovascular diseases and to ease the huge financial burden of these often deadly and disabling diseases.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Heart Disease and Stroke. You're the Cure.

As your constituent and as an American Heart Association's You're the Cure advocate, I urge you to ask for a $20 million increase for CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program in your communications to the chairman and ranking member of the health appropriations subcommittee, outlining your fiscal year 2011 funding priorities. Currently, CDC spends on average only 16 cents per person each year on heart disease and stroke prevention.

Specifically, a funding increase of $20 million will enhance our State's chances of being elevated from mere planning (capacity building) to actual implementation of heart disease and stroke prevention initiatives. States receive an average of $1 million a year for basic program implementation.

Our State has been stuck in the planning phase for years and is ready to move on to the basic program implementation level. However, insufficient federal resources for this life-saving program have held us back.

CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program helps Americans, particularly underserved populations, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, learn heart disease and stroke signs and symptoms, improve emergency response and quality of care, and end treatment disparities. Prevention works. A recent study found that people who avoid high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes, do not smoke, and maintain a healthy weight can add 10 years to life.

Heart disease, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease remain a major cause of permanent disability, the No. 1 killer in our State, and cost our country more than any other disease. However, our State does not have the resources necessary to effectively fight these diseases. Prevention is the best way to protect the people of our State from cardiovascular diseases and to ease the huge financial burden of these often deadly and disabling diseases.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Heart Disease and Stroke. You're the Cure.