HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2024-4656

HR 4656

ByRepresentative Thai

WHEREAS, More than 877,500 Americans die of heart disease, stroke, or other cardiovascular diseases every year. Heart disease and stroke are the first and fifth leading causes of death in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) estimates that someone in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds, but 80 percent of heart attacks are preventable; and

WHEREAS, The CDC's Million Hearts Program is a national initiative to prevent 1,000,000 heart attacks and strokes between 2022 and 2027; and

WHEREAS, The CDC views high cholesterol as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke; and

WHEREAS, The American heart association explains that cardiovascular disease can refer to a number of conditions, including heart disease, atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia, and heart valve problems; and

WHEREAS, Among Washington's 35 years of age and older population, men are hospitalized for heart attacks at nearly twice the rate of women; and

WHEREAS, Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Washington; and

WHEREAS, One in five women die of heart disease in Washington; and

WHEREAS, One in four men die of heart disease in Washington; and

WHEREAS, Air pollution is one of many factors that impacts heart health. Exposure to fine particle pollution contributes to cardiovascular disease and death. People who breathe in higher levels of fine particle pollution over a long time have more heart problems, like heart attacks, than people who breathe in less of this kind of pollution; and

WHEREAS, Researchers with the family heart foundation found that despite the availability of effective treatments for high cholesterol, 71 percent of hypercholesterolemia patients at high risk for heart attack and stroke never achieve low-density lipoprotein levels below recommended thresholds; and

WHEREAS, The LDL-C action summit, a consortium of the nation's leading cardiovascular stakeholder groups, seeks to cut cardiovascular events in half by 2030; and

WHEREAS, February was first proclaimed national heart health month by United States president Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 to focus on cardiovascular health, raise awareness about the risks of heart disease, and highlight the possible steps that can be adopted to save the lives of those countless people and address the unequal burden of heart disease in overburdened communities;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington House of Representatives urge health care providers to educate the public and treat all cardiovascular disease patients in accordance with American college of cardiology treatment guidelines; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the members of this chamber recognize February as heart health month in Washington state.