[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 5717-5718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-2777]



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Part VII





The President





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Proclamation 7066--American Heart Month, 1998



Proclamation 7067--National African American History Month, 1998
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 5717]]

                Proclamation 7066 of January 30, 1998

                
American Heart Month, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Fifty years ago, a heart attack meant an end to an 
                active lifestyle, and, for a third of those stricken, 
                it meant death. Thankfully, the past half-century has 
                brought us an array of advances in the prevention and 
                treatment of heart disease. Procedures such as balloon 
                angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafts, 
                noninvasive diagnostic tests, and drugs that treat high 
                blood pressure and clots and reduce high blood 
                cholesterol have enabled Americans to live longer and 
                healthier lives. Equally important, we have become 
                better educated during the past five decades about 
                heart disease risk factors and how to control them.

                This year, two of the groups most responsible for this 
                remarkable progress--the National Heart, Lung, and 
                Blood Institute and the American Heart Association--are 
                celebrating their golden anniversaries. The National 
                Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National 
                Institutes of Health, leads the Federal Government's 
                efforts against heart disease by supporting research 
                and education for the public, heart patients, and 
                health care professionals. The American Heart 
                Association plays a crucial role in the fight against 
                heart disease through its research and education 
                programs and its vital network of dedicated volunteers.

                 Despite the encouraging developments in that fight, we 
                still face many challenges. Heart disease continues to 
                be the leading cause of death in this country, killing 
                more than 700,000 Americans each year. The number of 
                Americans with heart disease or a risk factor for it is 
                staggering. Approximately 58 million have some form of 
                cardiovascular disease, about 50 million have high 
                blood pressure, and about 52 million have high blood 
                cholesterol. Americans are also becoming more 
                overweight and less active--two key factors that 
                increase the risk of heart disease. Most disturbing, 
                for the first time in decades, Americans are losing 
                ground against some cardiovascular diseases. The rate 
                of stroke has risen slightly, the prevalence of heart 
                failure has increased, and the decline in the death 
                rate for those with coronary heart disease has slowed.

                Women are particularly hard hit by this disease, in 
                part because public health messages too often have not 
                focused on how this segment of our population can best 
                protect their hearts. The American Heart Association 
                recently discovered that only 8 percent of American 
                women know that heart disease and stroke are the 
                greatest health threats for women, and 90 percent of 
                women polled did not know the most common heart attack 
                signals for women.

                For a variety of reasons, including poorer access to 
                preventive health care services, minorities in America 
                have high mortality rates due to heart disease. The 
                American Heart Association reported that, in 1995, 
                cardiovascular disease death rates were about 49 
                percent greater for African American men than for white 
                men, and about 67 percent higher for African American 
                women than white women. In addition, the prevalence of 
                diabetes--a major risk factor for heart disease--is 
                very high in some of our Native American populations, 
                and Asian Americans have a high mortality rate for 
                stroke.

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                However, both the National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
                Institute and the American Heart Association have 
                undertaken activities to counter these trends. Both 
                groups have initiated major efforts to better inform 
                women and minorities about the threat of heart disease 
                and the steps that can be taken both to prevent and 
                treat it. These fine organizations also continue their 
                efforts to educate health professionals on improving 
                medical practice in heart health and to inform patients 
                and the public about how to reduce their risk of heart 
                disease. As we celebrate their 50th anniversaries, let 
                us resolve to build on their record of accomplishment. 
                By continuing our investment in research, raising 
                public awareness of the symptoms of heart disease, and 
                educating Americans about the importance of a heart-
                healthy diet and exercise, we can continue our 
                extraordinary progress in saving lives and improving 
                health.

                In recognition of these important efforts in the 
                ongoing fight against cardiovascular disease, the 
                Congress, by Joint Resolution approved December 30, 
                1963 (77 Stat. 843; 36 U.S.C. 169b), has requested that 
                the President issue an annual proclamation designating 
                February as ``American Heart Month.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim February 
                1998 as American Heart Month. I invite the Governors of 
                the States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials 
                of other areas subject to the jurisdiction of the 
                United States, and the American people to join me in 
                reaffirming our commitment to combating cardiovascular 
                disease and stroke.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of January, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-2777
Filed 2-2-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P