Resources for Public Health Professionals

American Heart Month 2023

Feeling the pressure? We can help. Blood pressure control is possible.

Public health professionals include community health workers and employees from federal, state, and local health organizations.

These partners are in a unique position to help raise awareness that closing health disparities gaps is possible.

The data, statistics, and strategies found in this toolkit can support your important efforts to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates in your communities.

A health equity lens can also help address the needs of all your populations and help improve cardiovascular health for all.

Who Should Use This Toolkit?

The tools and resources in this toolkit are designed to help public health professionals encourage their communities to take small steps toward developing healthier lives.

How Do I Use This Toolkit?

  • Read and incorporate evidence-based policy tools and guides into your organization.
  • Link to data and maps that highlight the burden of CVD and related conditions and successful interventions.
  • Share messages and graphics with individuals and patients in your social networks.

Public Health Tools and Resources

Explore policy tools and guides that can help public health professionals manage their community’s cardiovascular health.

Communication Tools
Health Equity Tools
  • Focusing on Health Equity
    Learn how Million Hearts® aims to advance health equity through policies and practices that provide access to resources and enable cardiovascular health for all.
  • Community-Clinical Linkages Health Equity Guide
    Practitioners can use this guide to help incorporate health equity into community-clinical linkages (CCLs). CCLs are an effective approach for preventing and managing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
  • Health Equity
    View resources collected by CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion on health equity and racial/ethnic disparities.
Evidence-Based Policy Tools

Spread the Word

Share the following messages with your followers. Don’t forget to tag @CDCHeart_Stroke in your posts and follow us on social media.

Black adults have twice the rate of death from hypertension-related disorders compared to white adults. Use these toolkits from @CDCHeart_Stroke to take charge of #hypertension control in your community. #HeartMonth cdc.gov/heartmonth

Black adults face a heavier burden of cardiovascular disease (#CVD) than White adults. Help your community #LiveToTheBeat of their own #heart and prevent CVD on their terms. Learn more about @CDCFound’s campaign. #HeartMonth https://bit.ly/AHM23PT4

State and local health departments: @CDCHeart_Stroke’s #GIS tools can help you track trends and disparities in #CardiovascularDisease in your community this #HeartMonth. https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/maps/index.htm

With partnership and focus, we can make #hypertension control possible in our communities. @CDCHeart_Stroke is here to help. Start with these #HeartMonth toolkits. cdc.gov/heartmonth

Black adults have twice the rate of death from hypertension-related disorders compared with White adults. Check out these #HeartMonth toolkits to empower others on their journey to control and better heart health. cdc.gov/heartmonth

­February is American #HeartMonth! Although cardiovascular disease (#CVD) death rates have increased across all demographic groups, Black populations continue to be disproportionately affected. Join the #LiveToTheBeat campaign to help Black adults in your community take small steps to prevent heart disease and stroke. https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/partners-progress/partners/live-beat-campaign-toolkit.html

State and local health departments: CDC’s GIS tools can help you track trends and disparities in #CardiovascularDisease in your community this #HeartMonth. https://bit.ly/AHM23PT5

Local @Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Heart Disease and Stroke trend data are available for your county! Enhance your efforts this #HeartMonth to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease (#CVD) with these maps and graphs detailing local trends in #HeartDisease and #stroke mortality by age, race, and ethnicity. Check out the Local Trends Dashboard to see if your county is experiencing increases in CVD mortality. https://bit.ly/AHM23PT6

With partnership and focus, we can make #hypertension control possible in our communities. CDC is here to help. Start with these #HeartMonth toolkits. www.cdc.gov/heartmonth

Use the content below in your newsletters or e-blasts to inform people about our website and these useful tools.

Heart disease has been the number one cause of death in the United States for more than 90 years. And Black people in the United States are more likely to experience risk factors for heart disease, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. But there is good news. More adults are aware about cardiovascular disease (CVD) and how to prevent it, including Black adults. Now, we can help empower them to take the small steps that will help lower their risk. We can’t change everything today, but bit by bit, we can empower more people to stand up and take back their health, one small step at a time. Live to the Beat is a belief change campaign that aims to reduce the risk of CVD among Black adults ages 35 to 54 by encouraging them to take small steps to move more, eat better, and work with a health care professional to address key risk factors like hypertension, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. We are happy to join with the CDC Foundation, the Million Hearts® initiative, and organizations across the nation in sharing these important messages with Black adults. Learn more at LivetotheBeat.org.

Social Media Graphics

Download these graphics to share on your social media accounts with colleagues and partners.

Know Your Risk for Heart Disease

Black adults are 2x as likely as white adults to die from preventable heart disease.
Black adults are 2x as likely as White adults to die from preventable heart disease.

Take Action

There are things you can do today to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. Start now with small steps.
Take charge of your heart health. Take small steps to prevent heart disease and stroke.
There are things you can do TODAY to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. Start now with small steps.
Take charge of your heart health. Take small steps to prevent heart disease and stroke.

Download our resources for you to share with individuals and patients in your practice.

Implement our clinical tools and resources into your practice, and share the tools with your team.