ACC to join fellow experts at NCD Café to kick off Global Week for Actions on NCDs

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease and diabetes, are the leading cause of death around the world. NCDs already account for over 70 percent of deaths, with this percentage only expected to increase in the coming years. As part of the American College of Cardiology's efforts to work with national and global health stakeholders to reduce the prevalence of NCDs and their impacts, ACC will join with fellow experts at the NCD Café at ESC Congress together with the World Congress of Cardiology.

ACC Past President John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, will participate in an interactive panel discussion at the NCD Café on the role health care professionals play in strengthening health systems and combating NCDs in their communities across the continuum of care. The session will take place at the NCD Café Booth in the Global Exchange Area on Sept. 1 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CEST.

Harold will highlight the ACC's ongoing efforts to engage stakeholders regarding NCDs, including partnering with the ACC's 42 International Chapters to bring regionalized education, train-the-trainer programs, and mentoring and leadership training directly to cardiovascular clinicians all around the world.

In 2011 the United Nations set a goal to reduce the rate of premature deaths by NCDs by 2030. With this goal only 10 years away, there is an urgent need to reach clinicians where they live and practice throughout the world. The ACC has a long legacy of international collaboration and engagement with the goal of improving the quality of cardiovascular care worldwide. Only by working together will we be able to achieve not only the ACC's missions to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health, but the broader goal of reducing deaths from heart disease and other prevalent NCDs."

John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, ACC Past President

The NCD Café is a joint initiative of the NCD Alliance and the World Heart Federation that provides an interactive platform for open discussion on key topics in the field of global cardiovascular health and NCDs. Panelists will come from a range of disciplines and sessions are designed to help participants share ideas while focusing on a range of important topics, including air pollutions, rheumatic heart disease and universal health coverage.

The NCD Café kicks off the second annual Global Week for Actions on NCDs, which takes place Sept. 2-8, 2019, and will offer opportunities for advocates to mobilize in their communities.