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Marian Johns | Aug 4, 2017

American Heart Association applauds House funding bill, says work still needed

The American Heart Association (AHA) is applauding a House fiscal 2018 funding bill that directs an additional $6 million to the Centers for Disease Control's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and $4 million to the Million Hearts Program national initiative.

In a statement, the AHA commended the House funding bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education departments, saying it will save lives but also said cuts to programs such as tobacco prevention, nutrition and physical activity were disappointing. 

“We commend the committee’s investment in the CDC because it will help ease the toll of chronic diseases, along with spending on related health care services,” AHA President Dr. John Warner said in the statement. “This funding supports the important work being done across the country to prevent cardiovascular disease – the No. 1 and most costly killer in the United States – and save lives.”

Warner said the organization will continue to seek funding from Congress for health programs.

“We will continue to call on Congress to make robust investments in the [National Institutes of Health], the CDC, and these other valuable programs,” Warner said in the AHA announcement.  “By fully funding research and prevention efforts now, we can help lift the burden of heart disease and stroke for decades to come.”

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