Small Town News

Delawares Heart at the Capital Day held

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May is American Stroke Month. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S., costing about $73 billion in 2010. About 795,000 Americans will have a new or recurrent stroke this year. That is a stroke every 40 seconds.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association held a Heart at the Capital Day, May 4 when healthcare professionals, stroke and heart disease survivors along with other AHA volunteers traveled to Dover to speak to members of the House of Representatives and Senate and to advocate for level funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs in the Delaware Health Fund.

Studies have shown cigarette smoking to be a risk factor for stroke, and that statewide tobacco-prevention programs prompt sharp reductions in smoking by increasing the number of adults and kids who quit or cut back and reducing the numbers who start or relapse.

States with comprehensive tobacco-prevention programs have not only saved thousands of people from suffering smoking-caused illnesses, but also benefit from enormous declines in healthcare costs and other smoking-caused expenditures.

Strive. Survive. Thrive. To learn how to strive for ideal health to reduce the risk of stroke, visit





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