Heart Awareness Month
The Medtronic Foundation funds WomenHeart, Mended Hearts and a number of other patient advocacy groups. These organizations work to help develop innovative programs designed to empower people to carry out the important work of supporting those affected by heart disease.
Adult Congenital Heart Association
ACHA serves and supports the more than one million adults with congenital heart defects, their families and the medical community—working with them to address the unmet needs of the long-term survivors of congenital heart defects through education, outreach, advocacy, and promotion of ACHD research. ACHA was founded in 1998 by a group of adult congenital heart defect survivors and their families, and its Board of Directors continues to consist primarily of those living with heart defects. ACHA is dedicated to promoting excellence in ACHD care, and functions under the oversight of a Medical Advisory Board.
Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation
www.childrenscardiomyopathy.org
The Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation (CCF) is a national, non-profit organization focused on pediatric cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease of the heart muscle. CCF is dedicated to accelerating the search for cures while improving diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for children affected by cardiomyopathy. CCF actively works with federal agencies, medical societies, voluntary health organizations, and hospitals nationwide to increase awareness, accelerate research, and advance education on pediatric cardiomyopathy. The hope is that one day every affected child can be cured to live a full and active life.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association
The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association is a not for profit 501(c) (3) organization formed in 1996 to provide information, support and advocacy to patients, their families and medical providers about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Mended Hearts
Mended Hearts has been offering the gift of hope to heart disease patients, their families and caregivers for 60 years. Recognized for its role in facilitating a positive patient-care experience, Mended Hearts partners with 460 hospitals and rehabilitation clinics and offers services to heart patients through visiting programs, support group meetings and educational forums. Our mission is to “inspire hope in heart disease patients and their families.” Because Mended Hearts is made up of the very kinds of people it serves—heart patients, their families, and others impacted by heart disease, its members draw on personal experience as they help others. Mended Hearts support groups help people understand that there can be a rich, rewarding life after heart disease. Members listen, share their experiences, learn from healthcare professionals and volunteer to talk to other heart patients about what they may face including lifestyle changes, depression, recovery, and treatment. Annually, Mended Hearts volunteers make visits to patients, family members and caregivers in hospitals, online and by phone.
Parent Heart Watch (PHW)
Parent Heart Watch, a 501(c)(3) public charity incorporated in late 2005, is a state by state network of parents and partners solely dedicated to reducing the often disastrous effects of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in youth. Parent Heart Watch is a national network of parents, families and partners dedicated to reducing Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in youth. We inform, educate, advocate, and implement nationwide programs that help achieve our mission and vision objectives. Parent Heart Watch was established by parents who have lost a child to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Through our dedicated network, we are turning our tragedy into positive actions that will save young lives across the nation.
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Our mission is to find ways to prevent and cure pulmonary hypertension, and to provide hope for the pulmonary hypertension community through support, education, advocacy and awareness. We are a young organization that is changing the history of an illness. From simple beginnings — four women around a kitchen table in Florida in 1990 — PHA has evolved in size and complexity. While we have grown, PHA has stayed true to our roots and the vision and ingenuity of our founders. We continue to work every day to end isolation, provide education, involve our constituents in everything we do, and find a cure for pulmonary hypertension.
Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation
In the early 1970s, Dr. G. Michael Vincent and his associates at the LDS Hospital/University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, identified and began to study and treat several families with the long QT syndrome (LQTS), a genetic cardiac disorder than can cause sudden death in young people. Dr. Vincent's team actively expanded the family pedigrees and prospectively screened family members for LQTS. With this approach, many LQTS patients were identified. One family was particularly large and became the world's largest single LQTS pedigree. Seeing "the better way" to disseminate and educate, the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established on December 12, 1991 by Dr. Vincent and several dedicated colleagues and LQTS family members, for the purpose of helping to prevent sudden and unexpected cardiac death in children and in young adults. The organizations mission is to save the lives and support the families of children and young adults who are genetically predisposed to sudden death due to heart rhythm abnormalities.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) is an organization singularly focused on sudden cardiac arrest. SCAA identifies and unites survivors, those at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, as well as others who are interested in being advocates on SCAA issues in their communities and beyond. Our membership is dedicated to promoting solutions to prevent sudden cardiac death, including increased awareness, immediate bystander action, public access to defibrillation (PAD), cardiovascular disease prevention, and access to preventative therapies.
WomenHeart: National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
WomenHeart is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) patient advocacy organization with thousands of members nationwide, including women heart patients and their families, health care providers, advocates and consumers committed to helping women live longer, healthier lives. WomenHeart supports, educates and advocates on behalf of the 42 million American women living with or at risk of heart disease. Our programs are made possible by donations, grants and corporate partnerships.