The American Heart Association (AHA)

The American Heart Association (AHA)

The American Heart Association (AHA) is a registered, non-profit organization based in the United States and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It funds cardiovascular medical research and is involved in consumer education on healthy lifestyle. It fosters cardiac care with the aim of lowering the number of disabilities and deaths arising from cardiovascular diseases as well as stroke. The organization began in New York in 1924, and was founded by six cardiologists. For about 10 years, prior, physicians and social workers would meet to debate about the heart disease (Our Early History). AHA initially aimed to reduce heart disease. The organization has numerous volunteers, who include healthcare providers. Its volunteers and members are vital for support activities that AHA engages in, and following its guidelines on disease and stroke prevention. The American Heart Association is one of the largest charity organizations in the United States, which means that it receives high revenues.

Locations and size

The American Heart Association has branches in many parts of the United States and the world. in the United States, AHA has 156 local offices and at least 3,000 employees. One of its branches is in New York. The headquarters were initially in New York, but were moved to Dallas to ensure centrality of the headquarters (American Heart Association (NYC)). Various locations serve millions of volunteers. Worldwide volunteers and supporters, scientists, staff, and donors exceed 40 million.

Mission, Vision, and Goals

The American Heart Association’s vision is “Everyone lives life with optimal health,” and the organization has often changed its mission and impact goals. Based on its mission statement, the current mission is to be to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. The impact goal is to increase healthy life expectancy from 66 years to at least 68 years by 2030 for Americans. the impact goal that relates to its activities to the world is to work with global and local collaborators to increase worldwide healthy life expectancy from 64 to at least 67 years by the same period (Angel et al., 2020). Past mission statements have been about reducing disability and death arising from cardiovascular disease and stroke, and building healthier lives free of these conditions. Past impact goals have revolved around reducing coronary heart disease and stroke risk by 25 percent and improving cardiovascular health by 20 percent. Thus, the impact goals have focused on reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease and improving lives of world citizens.

The American Heart Association’s has five core values that help it achieve its goals. The core values are community, cultural competence, diversity and inclusion, equity, and integrity. Regarding community, AHA is focused on strengthening communities and ensuring a network of influences. Concerning cultural competence, the organization intends to treat and interact with people from different cultures in an understanding and effective manner. Diversity and inclusion is about involvement, recognition and respect for people from diverse backgrounds and multiple identities. The Equity principle is about optimality, justice, and extension of opportunity to at-risk individuals. Integrity. Integrity relates to moral and scientific uprightness’, and this principle emphasizes ethical treatment of people and conducting credible and moral research. These values underscore the need for competency, professionalism, morality, and merit, in providing heart services.

Leadership and Governance

The organizational leadership includes Chief Executive OFFICER Nancy Brown, who has served since 2008. The long period of stay is an indication of stability of leadership. At the helm of her leadership, she has seen many advances, including launching the Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine, One Brave Idea, which is a research collaboration, convening a roundtable of CEOs from influential corporations, launching a breakthrough collaboration and a cardeation capital venture fund (Nancy Brown). She has helped AHA expand internationally and improve in areas such as resuscitation quality, and emergency cardiovascular care. Other notable members of the leadership team include President Robert A. Harrington, Chairman Bertram Scott, Chief Operating Officer Suzie Upton, and Chief Science and Medical Officer Mariell Jessup.

Programming

The American Heart Association has numerous programs that include education/training programs on giving CPR, automated external defibrillator (AED), and first aid. Its international programs focus on women, children, hospital-based care, and they revolve around education, training, provision and improvement of cardiovascular-related services. Some of its programs include recognition Heart Heroes, conducting events on World Heart Day, highlighting legislation during CPR month, holding regional annual forum, holding patient advocacy workshops, and participating in International Lifesaving programs. AHA participates in many conferences with upcoming ones including American College of Cardiology and World Heart Federation that will be held in Chicago on March 28-30, 20202. The Conference will provide the latest updates in science, invention, and practice, and will focus on global health (Upcoming International Events). There have been other conferences in March. There will be about 10 more scientific conferences held by sister associations in different parts of the world. Thus, the American Heart Association aims at sharing knowledge and updating health practitioners on new cardiovascular knowledge.

Organization’s role in the community/society

The American Heart Association is advancing the cardiovascular health of millions of people across the globe. The organization is educating members of the public on healthy eating and health living. It recommends appropriate foods that are vital for the heart and the body in general. In the past, however, the organization has been accused of promoting unhealthy food products manufactured by its sponsors, especially Proctor & Gamble Company. The organization aims to teach as many young people as possible on heart functioning, cardiac arrest occurrence, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, basic life support, which is necessary for patients before they reach a hospital, and the advanced cardiac life support. To this end, the organization helps prevent cardiac arrest and heart-related diseases. In one study by Semnar, Harrison and Doherty (2017), Cardiovascular resuscitation was found to lower the risk of cardiac-related death and substantially improve Health-Related Quality of Life in at least one domain. Thus, AHA engages in meaningful activities.

The publication of credible healthcare articles through AHA-affiliated journals is one of the hallmarks of the American Heart Association. Journals include Circulation, Circulation Research, Hypertension, Stroke, and Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, among others. Through these journal articles, researchers announce major milestones in cardiovascular related studies. Some studies become the basis of best practices and guidelines. The American Heart Association a significant portion of the studies.

Organization’s uniqueness and competitors

The American Heart Organization is unique in various ways. First, it is the largest heart organization that is proactive in training about basic life support and Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The large size and high revenues enable the organization to the be both proactive and responsive to heart issues. Proactive measures include CPR training, while response measures include heart surgery, and heart transplant. Secondly, the organization focusses mainly on heart issues, unlike some of its competitors that focus on other body issues and diseases. Thirdly, the organization focusses on people of all ages, while some competitors focus only on particular age groups, say, children. AHA’s competitors include the ALS Association, which focusses on brain and spinal cord problems, especially the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Heart Care International focusses on the prevention and treatment of children’s heart problems. Another competitor, the Amarillo Heart Group, is also based in Texas. Cardiostart International assists local medical teams in heart surgery and cardiac service provision, and it is global in nature.

Notable benchmarks, achievements, and pinch-points

The American Heart Association makes major milestones every decade. The organization for instance, celebrated the co-awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Gregg L. Semenza, a researcher of John Hopkins University who was recognized for his discovery of how sells sense and acclimate to oxygen availability. The understanding of how oxygen affects cellular metabolism is the basis of introducing new strategies for fighting cardiovascular disease. AHA partly funded the research. In 2018, a clinical work group that deals with heart-failure guidelines surpassed 100 publications. AHA’s funded research exceeded the $4 billion. In 2014, AHA partnered with the Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF) to establish the AHA/CHF Congenital Heart Defect Research Awards. Targeted groups include investigators who actively conduct basic, clinical, population or translational research directly related to congenital heart defects.

Conclusion

The American Heart Association is an effective organization based on its milestones and programs. Most milestones revolve around improving research for better cardiovascular diseases and popularizing guidelines. Some programs revolve around education of people of all ages on basic life support and CPR techniques, while others revolve enhancing the capacity of hospitals in providing cardiovascular services.