VA Session Prep

Members of the Virginia General Assembly have rolled into Richmond for their 2015 legislative session.  Please join us for a short call January 23 at noon to learn details on our legislative agenda and how you can help.  RSVP for the Jan 23 Session call: [email protected]

Funding for Tobacco Prevention Programs – The American Heart Association is continuing our fight for better funding for tobacco prevention programs.  The programs are critical to help people quit smoking and ensure non-smokers don’t start.  Virginia’s funding for these programs falls far short of the recommended levels set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  We’ll be asking legislators to better fund these efforts to fight tobacco use.

Put your two cents in now to alert our legislators we need to commit to fighting tobacco use!

Access to Health Coverage – We will support closing the coverage gap for the uninsured in Virginia to ensure all Virginian’s have access to the health care and preventive services they need to become and stay healthy.  Individuals who suffer from or are at risk for heart disease need access to care and closing the coverage gap can get them the services they need.  

We’ll also be working to: 

- Explore opportunities for food procurement standards for VA’s state agencies

- Monitor the implementation of Critical Congenital Heart Defect screening in newborns (a bill passed in 2014 to assure every baby gets screened for heart defects before being sent home from the hospital) 

- Monitor the implementation of CPR in schools (a bill passed in 2013 to assure every student is trained in this life-saving skill before high school graduation)

Thanks for being by our side!  We couldn’t do this without you:  You’re the Cure advocates work to support and advocate for public policies that will help improve the cardiovascular health of Americans and reduce deaths by coronary heart disease and stroke.   If our voice is loud enough this session, we can impact the lives of many Virginians for many years to come! 

Click here to send your customizable letter to support tobacco prevention funding.