This resolution expresses support for designating February 2026 as American Heart Month to raise awareness and promote efforts to combat cardiovascular disease.
Joyce Beatty
Representative
OH-3
This resolution expresses strong support for designating February 2026 as American Heart Month. It highlights the severe impact of cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in the U.S. and emphasizes the need to promote awareness, support research, and improve access to care to combat this major health crisis. The bill encourages all Americans to learn about their personal risk factors.
Resolution Designates February 2026 as American Heart Month: A Push for Awareness and Research Funding
This resolution officially backs the designation of February 2026 as American Heart Month, continuing a tradition that started in 1964. It is not just a symbolic gesture; the text lays out a stark data-driven case for why heart health needs to be a national priority. By the numbers, cardiovascular disease claimed over 940,000 lives in 2022 alone, making it more lethal than all cancers and chronic lower respiratory diseases combined. The bill specifically points out that every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack, and it highlights a concerning 4.8 percent spike in heart disease deaths between 2019 and 2020.
The Trillion-Dollar Heart Check
Beyond the physical toll, the resolution flags a massive economic impact that hits everyone’s wallet. Between 2020 and 2021, heart disease cost the U.S. $417.9 billion in medical bills and lost productivity at work. If things don’t change, the bill projects these costs could skyrocket to over $1 trillion by 2035. For the average worker or small business owner, this translates to higher insurance premiums and more days away from the job. The legislation specifically targets eight major risk factors—ranging from high blood pressure and poor diet to nicotine exposure and bad sleep habits—noting that most of these are manageable with the right lifestyle shifts and medical support.
Protecting the Most Vulnerable
The text goes deep on how heart issues affect specific groups, noting that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of maternal death and that congenital heart defects are the top killer of infants with birth defects. It also acknowledges a reality many families face: progress in cutting death rates hasn't been equal, with communities of color seeing slower improvements. By formally supporting the goals of American Heart Month, the resolution commits to promoting awareness, backing new research, and pushing for more affordable, high-quality care to help bridge these gaps.
What This Means for Your Routine
While a resolution doesn't create new taxes or regulations, it sets the stage for how federal and local resources are prioritized. It encourages the public to participate in National Wear Red Day and urges everyone to get a personal risk assessment. For you, this likely means seeing more community health screenings, workplace wellness initiatives, and public service announcements throughout February 2026. The goal is to move the needle on early detection, which the bill identifies as a primary way to save lives and reduce the long-term disability often caused by strokes and heart attacks.