00                   HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 20                                                                   
01 Designating February 2012 as American Heart Month.                                                                      
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS cardiovascular disease is the nation's leading cause of death; and                                      
04       WHEREAS cardiovascular disease is the costliest disease in the nation, with direct                              
05 and indirect costs estimated to be $297,700,000,000 a year; and                                                         
06       WHEREAS cardiovascular disease accounts for one out of three deaths nationwide;                                 
07 and                                                                                                                     
08       WHEREAS nearly 2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day, an                                       
09 average of one death every 39 seconds; and                                                                              
10       WHEREAS nearly 33 percent of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease occur in                                   
11 persons under 75 years of age; and                                                                                      
12       WHEREAS, this year, an estimated 785,000 people nationwide will have a new                                      
13 coronary attack, an estimated 470,000 people nationwide will have a recurrent attack, and an                            
14 additional 195,000 people nationwide will have a silent heart attack; and                                               
15       WHEREAS the research is clear that there are preventive strategies, as well as                                  
16 community-based strategies, that can increase survival rates from cardiovascular disease; and                           

01       WHEREAS the American Heart Association's 2020 impact goal seeks to improve the                                  
02 cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from                                         
03 cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent through research, population-level and                                  
04 community-level interventions, and public health and policy measures; and                                               
05       WHEREAS the American Heart Association encourages citizens to help save lives by                                
06 calling 911 if symptoms occur, to become trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and to                               
07 encourage comprehensive automated external defibrillator programs in their communities;                                 
08 and                                                                                                                     
09       WHEREAS the American Heart Association is celebrating February 2012 as                                          
10 American Heart Month and promoting education and awareness by encouraging citizens to                                   
11 learn the warning signs of heart attack and stroke;                                                                     
12       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature designates February 2012 as                                    
13 American Heart Month in recognition of the importance of the ongoing fight against heart                                
14 disease; and be it                                                                                                      
15       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges all citizens to                                        
16 recognize the critical importance of tools and skills that increase survival rates from cardiac                         
17 arrest and to recognize that, by incorporating those tools and skills into aggressive programs,                         
18 thousands of lives can be saved each year.