Strengthening programs on a State and Local basis

Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death and disability, respectively, in the United States. The enormous burden of such chronic diseases negatively impacts our families, health care delivery systems and our economy. The proliferation of this epidemic, coupled with the reality of limited resources to address increasing demands, underscores the importance of collaborative efforts to strengthen medicine/public health prevention strategies at the local and state levels. As life expectancy rises, the onerous effects of heart disease and stroke will increase exponentially. It is imperative therefore that medicine and public health, two forces whose goals and agendas have at times been divergent, actively work together now, to form alliances for mutually beneficial health outcomes, focused on prevention.