[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]
[[Page 5715]]
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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
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 1998 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
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.
[[Page 5718]]
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