[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 6 (Monday, February 10, 1997)]
[Pages 130-131]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6971--American Heart Month, 1997

February 1, 1997

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    More than 700,000 men and women die each year of heart disease, 
making it the leading cause of death in our country. Annually, about 1.5 
million Americans suffer heart attacks, one-third of which are fatal. 
Collectively, diseases of the heart and blood vessels claim about 
960,000 American lives annually. These statistics only hint at the 
individual and collective tragedy brought on by heart disease and stroke 
and underscore the need for us to do everything possible to combat 
cardiovascular diseases.
    Research has brought dramatic improvements to our knowledge of heart 
disease and how to combat it. We have learned much in recent years and 
now know that the processes leading to heart disease typically begin 
early in life and worsen over the years; symptoms often do not appear 
for decades. We also better understand the effects of genetics, gender, 
and lifestyle. High blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, 
diabetes, and obesity increase the risk of developing heart disease; 
physical activity can reduce the risk of suffering from cardiovascular 
disease, including stroke.
    Additionally, research has brought improved diagnostic methods and 
treatments for those afflicted with heart disease. Noninvasive imaging 
devices can now show the heart at work inside the body, giving doctors 
more precise information about their patient's condition. And new tests 
and therapies allow us to detect and treat a heart attack more 
effectively and minimize damage to the heart muscle.
    These striking developments in biomedical techniques and increased 
public awareness and education have helped reduce the death rate from 
heart disease by nearly 60 percent in the past 30 years, and deaths from 
stroke by about 65 percent.
    The Federal Government has contributed to these advances by 
supporting research and public education programs of the National

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Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of 
Health. The American Heart Association also has played a crucial role in 
bringing about these remarkable accomplishments through its research and 
education programs and the work of dedicated volunteers.
    Yet much remains to be done. The incidence of obesity has risen 
dramatically over the past 30 years, and renewed efforts are needed to 
make all Americans aware of how they can lower the risks of heart 
disease by adopting a commonsense regimen of diet, exercise, and, in 
some cases, medication.
    More, too, must be done to help survivors of initial heart attacks 
live full lives. Within six years of a heart attack, for instance, more 
than a third of those afflicted develop severe and often disabling chest 
pain. One-fourth or more of them will have another heart attack, and 
another fifth suffer heart failure. The challenges posed by heart 
disease are becoming ever more pressing as America ages and more of us 
live beyond age 65--the group most affected by this disease.
    In the face of these daunting challenges, we Americans, acting 
individually and collectively, can fight heart disease and give 
ourselves and our families a healthy future.
    In recognition of these important needs in the ongoing battle 
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 1997, 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 first day of 
February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-first.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:26 a.m., February 3, 
1997]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
February 4.