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July 27,
2005
Little
Rock -- The Arkansas Department of Health is one of three states nationwide that received funding this month from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to carry out a statewide health examination survey. This award, which was based on a competitive grant process, is the first of its kind in the nation and was awarded as a supplement to the Department’s Cardiovascular Health Program. The other two states to receive funding are Kansas and Washington.
Arkansas has the highest stroke death rate in the country, and the fifteenth highest heart disease death rate. High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are major risk factors for heart disease and stroke. The Arkansas Cardiovascular Health Examination Survey (ARCHES) will allow the Health Department to measure these and other important risk factors for the first time among a sample of the general Arkansas population. This information will be useful for the Department’s Cardiovascular Program to design activities and policies to address risk factors for heart disease and stroke among the most vulnerable segments of the population.
“We are very happy and excited to get this award,” said Dr. Namvar Zohoori, Chief Epidemiology Officer and State Chronic Disease Epidemiologist at the Arkansas Department of Health. “There are many people in Arkansas who have high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels, but are not aware of it, or their blood pressure and cholesterol levels may not be under control. ARCHES will allow us to identify the levels and distribution of these problems in the state and to address them.”
ARCHES is being funded by the Cardiovascular Health Branch of the Division of Adult and Community Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Funding is part of the Arkansas Department of Health's Cardiovascular Health Program and includes $381,000 for the first year, and a total of $759,000 over the 2-year project period.
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