Canada urgently needs a prescription for heart health

"The Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan is the prescription that Canada urgently needs to ensure that Canadians get timely and efficient patient-centred services and access to care when they need it," says Dr. Charles R. Kerr, President of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "The yet-to-be-funded action plan addresses the prevention and care of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the plan identifies health system priorities to ensure proper care for patients at all stages, from risk factor identification to acute care through to rehabilitation and end-of-life planning."

For the past 2 years, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society has been one of the lead organizations involved in the development of the Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan (CHHS-AP), which aims to address the prevention and care of cardiovascular diseases - from which more Canadians die each year than any other illness. Two and a half million dollars ($2.5 M) in funding was provided in 2006 by the Government of Canada for the development of the Strategy and Action Plan, which was officially released today by Dr. Eldon R. Smith, Chair, CHHS-AP Steering Committee, at a press conference in Ottawa. No funding commitment has yet been made for implementation of the Strategy and Action Plan.

"While we certainly recognize the current and dire economic climate, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society believes it makes economic sense to invest now in cardiovascular disease prevention and care," added Dr. Kerr. "It is estimated that the implementation of the heart health strategy would result in savings to the economy of approximately $7.6 billion in direct costs and $14.6 billion in indirect costs of cardiovascular care by 2020. Our patients are counting on this investment, not just for themselves, but for their children, many of whom are already the new faces of cardiovascular disease that we, as physicians, are now seeing on an increasing basis."

"The Canadian Cardiovascular Society will do its utmost to lever existing resources and assume a leadership role to develop consensus on national data standards for patient registries. We also hope to work in partnership with other organizations in other areas relating to health system reform and patient care. But we can't do it alone -- we need the support of governments at all levels, as well as the commitment of other stakeholders, to see the heart health strategy and action plan through to fruition, for the ultimate benefit of all Canadians," concluded Dr. Kerr.

See the CHHS-AP website at www.chhs-scsc.ca and the CCS website at www.ccs.ca for further details.

The Canadian Cardiovascular Society is the national voice for cardiovascular physicians and scientists. Its mission is to promote cardiovascular health and care through knowledge translation, professional development, and leadership in health policy.