AstraZeneca awards grants for new programmes to improve heart health

US-based AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation has awarded grants to ten community-based programmes that will work to improve the heart health of local people.

Using the grants, which reach a total of more than $1.75m, the programmes will also share their cumulative lessons learned for the benefit of organisations throughout the country.

AstraZeneca is awarding grants from its Connections for Cardiovascular Health programme to non-profit organisations that address the challenges of preventing and controlling cardiovascular disease by conducting programmes for at-risk groups.

The activities and information will then be tailored to the needs and culture of the people they are serving.

The Connections for Cardiovascular Health programme has awarded nearly $21m in grants to 49 organisations globally since 2010.

"Our grant awardees are using innovative approaches to improve heart health at the community level and are sharing their lessons learned broadly to further these efforts."

AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation chairman James Blasetto said: "Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in this country.

"Our grant awardees are using innovative approaches to improve heart health at the community level and are sharing their lessons learned broadly to further these efforts."

By way of home visits, clinics, community centres, the programmes are set to reach out to underserved people of various ages and ethnic backgrounds. The grant recipients are working in different ways to address urgent, unmet needs in their communities and are leveraging access to care for uninsured and underserved populations.

So far, more than 1.6 million people have been reached through activities such as health fairs, screenings and workshops.

As a result, programme participants are improving their risk factors for cardiovascular disease by losing weight, lowering blood pressure and haemoglobin A1C levels.