WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation program, Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM, today announced a grant of more than $186,000 to the Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Maine to create the “Healthy Hearts” and the “Healthy Heart Club” programs.
The initiatives are aimed at extreme rural communities in the most northeastern county in the United States. The programs involve a cardiovascular disease educational campaign that includes a television series and recruiting farms, restaurants, and grocery stores to increase community access to healthy foods.
Valuable, heart-healthy resources will be provided to the people of Aroostook County; identified by the CDC and Maine Department of Health and Human Services as having some of the highest heart disease death rates in the United States.
“It is the primary goal of our program to help our population choose good nutrition and healthy lifestyles to enhance their cardiovascular health and to make health information and resources accessible to everyone,” said Kris Doody, RN, Cary Medical Center chief executive officer. “The urgency of the cardiovascular disease problem in the region will become widely known, and we will encourage people towards lifestyle modifications that reduce risk factors for heart disease and make positive healthy choices that we hope will become a way of life.”
The Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM grant will be used to help transition individuals with heart disease to a plant-based diet. Cary Medical Center will also conduct health promotion efforts to inform people of risk factors for heart disease with a goal of creating behavioral changes towards a healthy lifestyle.
“Cardiovascular disease is taking a terrible toll on our families, our communities and our nation,” said James W. Blasetto, MD, Chairman of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. “Cary Medical Center is developing creative heart-healthy programs tailored to meet the individual needs of residents in rural Maine.”
The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation program, Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM, awards grants of $150,000 and up to US-based nonprofit organizations that are doing innovative work in the field of cardiovascular health. Organizations can learn more and apply online for a Foundation grant at www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation. For this year, applications must be completed by April 20.
About the Cary Medical Center
Cary Medical Center is a 65-bed acute care hospital located in Caribou, Maine. Cary is an award-winning hospital and is a national leader in quality health care and patient safety.
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.
CONTACT:
Cary Medical Center
Bill Flagg, 207-498-1376
or
AstraZeneca
Katie Lubenow, 302-885-9960
KEYWORDS: United States North America Delaware Maine
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Cardiology Hospitals Philanthropy Other Philanthropy Foundation General Health
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