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(Little
Rock) --- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause
of death in Arkansas. Our
state ranks fifth in the country in the number of deaths form
heart disease and second for the number of deaths from stroke.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 1999
data indicates that:
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More people in Arkansas than those in the United States general
population have high blood pressure (28 vs. 24 percent).
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More
people in Arkansas smoke cigarettes (25 vs. 22 percent).
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More
people in Arkansas are physically inactive (28 vs. 27
percent).
The
Arkansas Wellness Coalition (AWC) was recognized by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for implementing
CVD guidelines for physicians and patients to improve health
outcomes. The
Arkansas Department of Health’s Diabetes Prevention and
Control and Cardiovascular Health Programs support the
organization which includes:
the American Heart Association (AHA), managed care
organizations, the Arkansas Department of Health, the Arkansas
Quality Improvement Organization, pharmaceutical companies,
Arkansas Medicaid and the University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences. The purpose of the coalition is to improve the health and
well being of Arkansans through the implementation of
nationally recognized peer-reviewed guidelines for physicians
and patient self-management.
The coalition also works to coordinate efforts between
health care providers and advocacy organizations to improve
quality of care and health outcomes in targeted diseases,
enhance consistency and efficiency of care by providing common
core principles and implement recognized standards of care.
These efforts provide physicians across the state with
the AHA guidelines and strategies for providing appropriate
blood pressure and high cholesterol treatment and follow-up
care.
This
guidelines-based approach can result in improved outcomes for
patients by applying recognized prevention and treatment
standards, which help ensure improved quality of life and
longevity.
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