Canada is heart sick and must act now: Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan unveiled

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OTTAWA, Feb. 24 – Canada now has its first comprehensive Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan to help Canadians prevent and care for cardiovascular diseases, Canada’s No.1 public health threat. The Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan (CHHS-AP): Building a Heart Healthy Canada and Realizing our Vision, were released today by Dr. Eldon R. Smith, Chair of the CHHS-AP Steering Committee. Also participating in the release were the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Federal Minister of Health, Dr. David Butler-Jones, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and representatives of the lead organizations in the Strategy development.”Canada is heart sick – and we urgently need to do something about it. As a nation we already have a strategy for cancer, diabetes, and lung disease, but until now, did not have a comprehensive strategy for the number one killer and public health threat in the country – heart disease and stroke,” said Dr. Eldon R. Smith. “The Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan is a road map for improving the heart health of Canadians from prevention to patient care. Our recommendations are relevant to all sectors of society, individuals, governments and the private sector. We have developed a whole-of-Canada approach to engage Canadians where they learn, live, work, and play. It’s time to act.”

Nine out of 10 Canadians over the age of 20 have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease – and the likelihood that members of our Aboriginal and indigenous communities will develop heart disease or stroke is nearly double that of other Canadians. The CHHS-AP outlines six key recommendations:

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The estimated cost of implementing the Strategy is approximately $100 million per year for seven years. CHHS-AP financial forecasting identifies significant long term savings to the economy: a decrease of approximately $7.6 billion in direct costs of cardiovascular care and $14.6 billion in indirect costs by 2020.

“We now know that up to 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke are preventable,” said Sally Brown, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, one of the three lead organizations participating in the development and release of the Strategy. “The CHHS-AP will allow us to focus more on prevention, among other key areas, and tackle this health challenge head-on.”

“The practical recommendations in the CHHS-AP for health system reform with development and enhancement of chronic disease management models will lead to more effective and timely care for patients where and when it is needed,” added Dr. Charles Kerr, President of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, a lead organization involved in developing the Strategy.

“CIHR applauds the release of Canada’s first comprehensive Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan,” said Dr. Peter Liu, Scientific Director of the Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). “The creation and sharing of new knowledge is critical to a better understanding of cardiovascular disease, allowing earlier diagnosis, and also treating and preventing it more effectively. It creates opportunities for Canadians not only as research leaders, but also innovators who can transform new discoveries into tools and products that create jobs and strengthen our economy.”

“Preventable cardiovascular diseases are robbing families of their loved ones and is costing our society and our economy billions, “concluded Dr. Eldon Smith. “It’s up to everyone, from policy makers to individual Canadians to make the changes we need to build a heart healthy Canada.”

The Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan grew out of a 2005 Private Member’s Bill in the House of Commons proposed by Member of Parliament Steven Fletcher. In 2006, the Government of Canada announced $2.5 million in funding for the Strategy, which led to the appointment of the 29-member Steering Committee to develop the plan. The CHHS-AP Steering Committee developed its recommendations after a two-year process of review and analysis of existing research, as well as consultations with more than 1500 stakeholders and experts from across Canada and internationally including citizens, health care providers, aboriginal leaders, and the business community. Six theme working groups of experts reviewed the available evidence and contributed to forming the final recommendations.

For further information and a link to Building a Heart Healthy Canada and Realizing our Vision, visit the CHHS-AP website at www.chhs-scsc.ca.

For further information: Marie-France MacKinnon, Bluesky Strategy Group, (613) 241-3512 ext. 229, marie.france@blueskystrategygroup.com; Lisa Crawford, Bluesky Strategy Group, (613) 241-3512 ext. 224, (613) 218-2481, lisa@blueskystrategygroup.com