CEO highlights Heart Association accomplishments
Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, outlined how the organization is "charting a bold path for the future of brain health."
For the first time in five years, the number of heart disease and stroke deaths has declined, according to the annual Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update. “The news is promising,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, at the #ISC26 Opening Main Event. But she insisted the work is far from over.
“Heart disease and stroke still kill more people in the U.S. each year than any other cause,” Brown said. “And stroke has now replaced COVID as the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.”
Brown reported association advancements that are advancing the mission. For example, she cited the publication of the latest “Guideline for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke,” which includes expanded stroke treatment guidelines for adults and, for the first time, pediatric stroke patients.
Additional efforts for “charting a bold path for the future of brain health” include:
- 1,000 rural hospitals are now participating in Get With The Guidelines. This includes more than 800 rural Get With The Guidelines Stroke facilities.
- The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, which now exceeds $99 million, has helped advance lifesaving stroke care from the Midwest to Hawaii by reducing treatment times, expanding access, integrating systems and improving outcomes for patients.
- The Brain Health Pre-Conference Symposium, which premiered on Tuesday, initiated an effort around the heart-brain connection. The conversation will continue at a July Summit on Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormalities.
- The association participated at the United Nations and the International Alliance on Brain Health.
- The $75 million Go Red for Women Venture Fund recently made its first investment in Neura Health, a virtual neurology clinic that delivers care across a range of conditions, including migraine, stroke recovery and dementia.
“Through this commitment, and more to come, we’re catalyzing real solutions to support patients and help bridge the women’s health gap,” she said.
In closing, Brown encouraged attendees to text STROKE to 46839 to add their voices to the Heart Powered grassroots advocacy movement moving forward.
