A new public-private initiative is working to reduce heart attacks and stroke in a five-county area in southeastern Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Heartland Project combines public health personnel with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, hospitals and insurers to help patients reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke and live a longer, healthier life.
Counties participating in the initiative include Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Coal, Atoka and Latimer. The pilot project is funded through a grant from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Heart disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S., making cardiovascular disease the cause of one of every three deaths. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Oklahomans with more than 9,000 deaths each year, or about 25 deaths every day.
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