AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation Announces Grants to Three Appalachian Region Organizations

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM program today announced grants to three nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving cardiovascular health in the Appalachian region, totaling $634,525.

“The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is proud to provide funding to innovative, grassroots programs across the country working to help prevent and control the effects of cardiovascular disease in their communities.”

The organizations receiving the grants are St. Mary’s Health Wagon in Clintwood, Va; West Virginia Health Right in Charleston, W. Va; and Ashland-Boyd County Health Department in Ashland, Ky. Over the last three years, these organizations have received more than $1.3 million in grants.

Since the inception of the Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM program, nearly $11 million has been awarded to organizations working to prevent cardiovascular disease. Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM was launched in 2010 through a charitable contribution of $25 million from AstraZeneca. The 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.

“Cardiovascular disease continues to be the nation’s No. 1 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 across the country working to help prevent and control the effects of cardiovascular disease in their communities."

The Connections for Cardiovascular Health grant awardees are:

St. Mary’s Health Wagon in Clintwood, Va; $239,500: The Appalachian Healthy Heart Initiative works to improve quality of care through prevention, detection and treatment of heart disease and to reduce cardiovascular health disparities for those who are uninsured and under-insured in the Appalachian Mountains of Southwest Virginia. The program does this through both primary and preventive care initiatives, outreach programs, health promotion activities and screenings, culturally appropriate education with a focus on risk factor reduction and engagement of the community through awareness. This is the third consecutive year in which St. Mary’s has received a grant from the Foundation, for a total of $545,562.

West Virginia Health Right in Charleston, W. Va; $185,025: Pathways to Cardiovascular Health works to improve the health status of its patients at risk for cardiovascular disease through sustainable lifestyle changes coupled with continuity of medical care and treatment. This is the third consecutive year in which West Virginia Health Right has received a grant from the Foundation, for a total of $556,957.

Ashland-Boyd County Health Department in Ashland, Ky; $210,000: The Appalachian Partnership for Positive Living and Eating program is a new, innovative program designed to help children and families combat complex issues relating to pediatric obesity. The only one of its kind in the state of Kentucky, which ranks third nationally for pediatric obesity, the program identifies participants by measuring the body mass index of an estimated 3,500 elementary-aged children at three school districts across Boyd County.

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 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.