Declare February Heart Month

Senate Resolution No. 3566 BY: Senator COMRIE MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2018, as American Heart Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official months that are set aside to increase awareness of serious issues that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2018, as American Heart Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Wear Red Day; and WHEREAS, The American Heart Association truly wants to help the citizens of this great nation to live longer, healthier lives so they can enjoy all of life's precious moments; American Heart Month, a federally designated event, is a perfect way to remind Americans to focus on their hearts and encourage them to get their families, friends and communities involved; and WHEREAS, On December 30, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed February of 1964 as the first American Heart Month; ever since then, this important health issue has been recognized every February; and WHEREAS, Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States; fortunately, the disease can be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions; and WHEREAS, In 2014, 220.8 per 100,000 deaths were attributed to cardiovascular disease (CVD), someone died of CVD every 40 seconds, and approximately 2,200 people died from CVD each day; and WHEREAS, Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke; this is about 795,000 new or recurrent strokes each year; and WHEREAS, Approximately every four minutes, someone dies of a stroke, making stroke the cause of death for one of every 20 deaths in the United States; and WHEREAS, More than 65% of United States adults have two, three, or four criteria at ideal cardiovascular health, with about 20% adults within each of these categories; at any age, females tend to have more metrics at ideal levels than do males, and Blacks and Hispanics tend to have fewer metrics at ideal levels than whites or other races; and WHEREAS, Based on 2011-2014 data, 85.7 million, or 34.0% of United States adults are estimated to have hypertension, and 28.5 million, or

11.9% are estimated to have total serum cholesterol levels at about 240 mg/dL; and WHEREAS, In addition, 23.4 million, or 9.1% of United States adults are estimated to have diagnosed diabetes; and WHEREAS, According to findings from 2015, one in six males and one in seven females in the United States smoke, and on average, one in three adults, or 30.4% do not engage in leisure time physical activity; Hispanic and Non-Hispanic black adults were more likely to be inactive; and WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater public awareness of this health issue and more must be done to increase activity at the local, state and national levels to promote screening and support patients and their families; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2018, as American Heart Month in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.