The American Heart Association
The American Heart Association, also known as the AHA, is a non-profit organization in the United States that promotes and advances education and social recognition of health issues pertinent to the heart in an effort to help reduce heart-related illnesses, diseases, and deaths in the U.S.
Origins
The American Heart Association first began as a result of The Association for the Prevention and Relief of Heart Disease. The Association for the Prevention and Relief of Heart Disease was formed by a group of pioneering physicians in 1915 in New York as a response to the lack of heart health and disease information available to the public. Heart disease, at the time, was looked at as a fatal condition. After much research and discussion, reports were released that showed viable ways of preventing heart disease, giving hope to those plagued with the condition, and opening the eyes of the nation on the issue of heart health and heart disease prevention.
The reports released by The Association for the Prevention and Relief of Heart Disease created great interest across the United States in heart health and caused a chain reaction of heart-related research. In 1924, the American Heart Association was established by a group of cardiologists and national cognizance on heart issues quickly grew. In 1948 the American Heart Association reorganized and made its public debut through a radio contest which raised approximately $1.75 million. Quickly after, the American Heart Association headquarters in New York started establishing regional branches throughout the U.S., and in 1949, the American Heart Association launched their first national fund-raising campaign which raised approximately $2.7 million.
Since then, the American Heart Association has grown to become a dominant voice in the struggle to inform and educate Americans on heart health and heart disease prevention. As the years progressed, more and more Americans started to volunteer to help promote the message of the American Heart Association. Eventually, the American Heart Association volunteers and staff began to transform the organization from a scientific society into the voluntary health agency it is today.
The American Heart Association Today
Today the American Heart Association continues to promote the importance of keeping your heart healthy, provide the American people with detailed research and recommendations on ways to maintain a healthy heart, develop campaigns to broaden national awareness on heart-related health issues, and develop standards and viable techniques for providing life support when heart failure occurs, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) practices which are used nationwide and across the globe.
If you wish to contact the American Heart Association, become a member, make a donation, or find out more about your local American Heart Association chapter, refer to the following contact information. The American Heart Association would love to hear from you and could use your support.
National Center Mailing Addresses
American Heart Association
National Center
7272 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231
Telephone Information
AHA: 1-800-AHA-USA-1
or 1-800-242-8721
American Heart Association Professional Membership:
or 1-800-787-8984
or Outside US: 1-301-223-2307
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