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(Circulation. 1995;92:3369-3370.)
© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

AHA's New Research Initiative

Claudia Louis, MBA; Scott Ballin, JD

From the American Heart Association, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, DC.

	Introduction

 
A partnership unique in US history—4.2 million medical and lay volunteers nationwide joining with staff specialists in 54 affiliates—the American Heart Association has the strength in numbers and is beginning to acquire the skills to gain an increase in NIH funding for heart and stroke research. But more can and should be done.

Last June, the AHA Board of Directors approved a comprehensive plan to institute a series of expanded grassroots and public policy initiatives. The plan, recommended to the Board by the AHA Public Affairs Policy Committee, has resulted in an allocation of increased resources to the Office of Public Affairs for a variety of projects to enhance the AHA's efforts to secure additional federal funds for heart and stroke research.

For some time, federal funding for heart and stroke research has remained flat, being forced "off the radar screen" by the furor over cancer and AIDS research. Enactment of this plan will help further educate Congress and the executive branch about the impact of cardiovascular diseases on the health and economy of the nation.

Activities under this ambitious plan include formation of a national heart and stroke coalition, recruitment of celebrities, expansion of grass roots, enhancement of affiliate consultations, assessment of legislative networks, further cultivation of patient groups, conduction of a public attitude survey, establishment of an annual lobby day, and production of a video. Highlights of these initiatives follow.

The AHA is an active member of several biomedical research coalitions, but such coalitions focus on numerous disease . . . [Full Text of this Article]