[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E250-E251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMERICAN HEART MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2017

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give additional 
recognition to the tireless advocacy of the staff and volunteers of the 
American Heart Association, as well as the organizations in my home 
state of New Jersey and across the country and to mark the end of 
American Heart Month.
   Their ongoing efforts to combat the leading cause of death among men 
and women are essential, this month, and every month. On February 7, 
2017, in an effort to raise particular awareness of the risk this 
disease poses to women, the Coalition for Heart and Stroke, which I co-
chair, held a briefing in coordination with the American Heart 
Association and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart 
Disease. Despite the fact that heart disease is the number one cause of 
death among women in the U.S. and almost 400,000 women succumb to this 
disease annually, heart disease is often erroneously thought of as a 
man's disease. Awareness campaigns like Heart Disease Month aim to 
correct misinformation and can help save lives.
   Among the issues discussed at our February 2017 Heart Month kick-off 
was the importance of having women, in representative numbers, in 
federally funded studies so that we can understand how heart disease 
presents differently in women; if current diagnostic methods are 
effective in detecting cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women; and if 
women react similarly to men to different therapeutic treatments.
   On February 14, 2017, the American Heart Association released a new 
study that included projections for the prevalence of heart disease in 
2035. These projections show that in the next two decades, the number 
of Americans with CDV will rise to 131.2 million people. This 
represents a dramatic increase from the last report, published in 2011, 
which estimated that 100 million Americans would suffer from CVD by 
2030. However, the previously projected estimate of 100 million was 
already surpassed in 2015. That same year, the death rate from heart 
disease rose by 1 percent for the first time since 1969.
   This report also shows that by age 45, the risk of developing CVD 
rises to 50 percent, and it increases to 80 percent by age 65.
   Not only does CVD extract a devastating human toll, it is also the 
costliest disease in America, inflicting a $555 billion impact in 2016. 
The report released last week indicates that by 2035, the cost of heart 
disease will approximately double to $1.1 trillion. That cost is borne 
in no small part by the American taxpayer, with CVD accounting for 
significant spending through Medicare Fee-For-Service.
   While heart disease and stroke account for 27 percent of all deaths 
combined, the NIH invests only 7 percent of its budget on related 
research.
   That is why, as co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Heart and 
Stroke, I have worked to increase funding for critical programs at the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC). For FY 17, the Heart and Stroke Coalition 
requested $3.4 billion for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
Institute and $1.8 billion for the National Institute of Neurological 
Disorders and Stroke.
   Despite the $2 billion increase in funding for NIH in FY 2016, NIH's 
purchasing power was 19 percent less than in FY 2003 last year. This 
loss has occurred at a time of heightened scientific opportunity and 
enhanced investment in the scientific field by other countries. We need 
to restore our purchasing power for NIH and capitalize on investments 
to improve health, spur economic growth, innovation, and advances in 
science.
   The Coalition also requested $160.037 million for CDC's Heart 
Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. Funding for this CDC program 
goes toward State Public Health Actions on Heart Disease and Stroke 
Prevention as well as for the actions to prevent obesity and diabetes. 
Funding for this also goes into national surveillance on stroke and 
heart disease.
   The Coalition additionally requested a combined $42 million for 
CDC's Million Hearts and WISEWOMAN (Well-Integrated Screening and 
Evaluation for Women across the Nation) programs. These programs offer 
preventative health services, referrals to local health care providers, 
and lifestyle programs and health counseling tailored to identified 
risk factors for those most vulnerable.
   American Heart Month has motivated life-saving initiatives across 
the country. For instance, in my home state of New Jersey, in my 
district, the Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus is on the 
forefront of the fight against CVD. This year, the Medical Center 
hosted its fourth annual American Heart Month event on February 11, 
providing cardiac screenings to nearly 100 people.
   February 22, 2017 marked the first annual National Heart Valve 
Awareness Day. This year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) has for the first time ever listed this day on the 
National Health Observances Calendar. More than 5 million people in the 
U.S. have been diagnosed with this particular disease, which involves 
damage to one or more of the heart's four valves and can result in 
reduced blood flow, causing the heart to work harder and the body to 
get less oxygen.
   Tragically, more than 22,000 people in the U.S. die from this 
condition every year. It is my hope that inclusion of this day in Heart 
Month will raise awareness of the risks of heart valve disease among 
those at risk, as well as the medical community.
   I am honored to once again serve as the co-chair of the 
Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition, which was founded in 1996 for 
the purpose of raising awareness of the seriousness of cardiovascular 
diseases and to act as a resource center for heart and stroke issues, 
including biomedical research, quality and availability of care, health 
promotion and disease prevention. Over the past twenty-one years, this 
bi-partisan, bi-cameral coalition, which now numbers nearly 150 
members, has also worked to advance public policy aimed at fighting 
cardiovascular diseases.
   I would like to acknowledge my colleagues who are fellow members of 
the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition and thank them for their 
efforts. I encourage those members who have not yet joined the 
Coalition to do so.

[[Page E251]]

   I would also like to thank WomenHeart and The American Heart 
Association for their dedication and impact and look forward to 
continuing to work in cooperation with them throughout this Congress.
   Those suffering from cardiovascular disease, as well as their loved 
ones and caregivers, need vocal advocates on Capitol Hill to ensure 
access to quality care and treatments. We have a duty to see that 
programs aimed at combating CVD, as well as medical research for 
prevention and treatment of stroke and heart attacks are supported 
appropriately at a federal level. I look forward to continuing to work 
with my colleagues in Congress and with advocates across the nation as 
we continue this critical work throughout the year in the fight against 
America's number one killer.

                          ____________________