We should all take heart at the planned National Campaign to prevent 1 million heart attacks by 2022. The 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has started this ambitious effort titled  Million Hearts 2022 to revive what had long been a steady downturn in the cardiovascular death rate. 

Heart disease and stroke are preventable, yet they remain leading causes of death, disability, and health care spending in the US. Many of these events are happening to adults ages 35-64— a startling number, over 800,000 in 2016.  Coordinated actions by public health and health care professionals, communities, and healthcare systems can and will keep people healthy, and improve outcomes especially for priority populations. 

Here is the most wonderful thing about this initiative - 

This worthy goal does not require any new drugs, surgeries or discoveries. We have the information on how to prevent these killers. The biggest hurdle will be peoples willingness to change their habits. 

As quoted by Jane Brody in the New York Times , Dr. Matthew D. Ritchey, a senior scientist at the CDC, "

“This is especially so among adults aged 35 to 64, for whom heart disease and stroke mortality is rising. It’s very concerning. Many are people with young children and aging parents to care for.”

Dr. Ritchey  and his colleagues " cited 213 million opportunities to improve cardiovascular risk among Americans by addressing behaviors that are currently standing in the way of progress"

The CDC recommends what they call the ABCS:.

 Each of us can make a change to help this healthy goal become achievable!