Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM Announces $250,000 Grant to Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department

WISNER, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM program today announced a grant of $250,000 to the Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department to support the creation of their “Operation Heart to Heart” program.

“The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is proud to provide funding to innovative, grassroots programs like Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department’s Operation Heart to Heart program, which work to help prevent and control the effects of cardiovascular disease in their community.”

Operation Heart to Heart works to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and increase health screening opportunities among agricultural laborers in Burt, Cuming, Stanton and Madison Counties in Nebraska by providing innovative cardiovascular health screening opportunities, ongoing case management and tracking and heart health education.

"The Operation Heart to Heart program is an exciting addition for our department with enormous potential to make life-saving differences among the program participants and the community," said Gina Uhing, Health Director, Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department. "With agricultural workers and agricultural families being the primary target, we intend to offer free health education and free cardiovascular risk screenings to all, and those found to be at an elevated risk will subsequently be offered free case management services. By including the entire family in this process, Operation Heart-to-Heart hopes to increase the health and wellness throughout the family unit."

The program will work in multiple steps, by raising awareness among target audiences about cardiovascular disease and by starting a mass cardiovascular disease screening initiative in innovative settings such as farm and tractor supply stores, agricultural education events, mandatory pesticide certification courses, grain elevators, crop seed dealers, livestock auctions and field test plot events.

"Cardiovascular disease continues to be the nation’s number one killer, which is why we must work to decrease the risks of this devastating disease," said James W. Blasetto, M.D., MPH, FACC, chairman of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. "The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is proud to provide funding to innovative, grassroots programs like Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department’s Operation Heart to Heart program, which work to help prevent and control the effects of cardiovascular disease in their community."

The Connections for Cardiovascular Health program awards grants of $150,000 and up to US-based non-profit organizations that are doing innovative work in the field of cardiovascular health. This year, the Foundation has awarded over $4.4 million in grants to 22 organizations. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded nearly $11 million across the United States to help improve cardiovascular health.

Organizations can learn more and apply online for a Foundation grant at www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation. Applications must be submitted online no later than 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 28, 2013.

About Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department

Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department was created in 2002 to serve the citizens and communities of Madison, Stanton, Burt and Cuming counties. Located in Wisner, Nebraska, with a satellite office in Norfolk, the focus is healthy lifestyle management and disease prevention with over 20 programs initiated to maximize wellness and safety. Visit www.elvphd.org to learn more about the available programs.

About the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation

Established in 1993, the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is a Delaware not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) entity organized for charitable purposes including to promote public awareness of healthcare issues, to promote public education of medical knowledge and to support or contribute to charitable and qualified exempt organizations consistent with its charitable purpose. Connections for Cardiovascular Health was launched in 2010 through a charitable contribution of $25 million from AstraZeneca.