Services

Virginia's Cardiovascular Health Project

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds the Virginia Cardiovascular Health Project to increase partnerships for CVH promotion, particularly cardiovascular healthy nutrition and physical activity through environmental and policy support; to write a state CVH strategic action plan, to expand the CVH Coalition, to produce an inventory of all the CVH environmental and policy strategies in place throughout the state to define the burden of CVD in Virginia, and to reduce racial and ethnic disparities related to CVD.

Local Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Programs

Virginia Department of Health's Office of Family Health Services (OFHS) funds local health districts to provided community-based prevention/intervention projects focused on the reduction of chronic disease risk reducing factors. The federal Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant funds these projects. The projects focus on risk factors including: high blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, smoking and tobacco use, high fat diets and excessive body fat, and lack of physical activity among individuals in the community.

Other State CVD-Focused Activities:

• Update of the State CVD Risk Reduction Plan entitled "Virginia's Plan for the Prevention of CVD 1998-2010"
• Coordinates the Cardiovascular Health Coalition focused on "Livable Communities"
• Update of the State CVD data report (Cardiovascular Disease in Virginia: Who is Affected)
• Virginia's Stroke Risk Reduction Program including the church based stroke efforts
• Provides resources, professional education, training and technical assistance on CVH issues
• Maintains a Cholesterol Standardization Program and the Blood Pressure Quality Assurance Program

Partnerships

The Cardiovascular Health Coalition is comprised of representatives statewide from businesses, health professional organizations, hospitals, medical professionals, health educators, pharmaceutical companies, transportation experts, housing and development authorities, restaurant and grocery groups, managed care, media, Virginia Department of Education, universities, community members and many other members concerned about the cardiovascular health of Virginians. This coalition focuses on increasing the number of strategies in place in Virginia to promote physical activity and heart health nutrition through environmental and policy support mechanisms.

Innovative Approaches:

The Stroke Risk Reduction Program produced a manual on training volunteer lay persons to take blood pressures and counsel church members on results and for behavior change needs. Also included in this effort is a church-based nutrition and physical activity program called RENEW (Reaching To Eat N Exercise Wisely), a faith-focused smoking cessation program called TGIF (Thank God I'm Free), a 5 A Day nutrition program and recipes, and a dietary fat risk reduction program involving food diary record keeping.

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