Heart disease has taken its toll on the health of the American population. What doesn’t help is that most people’s lifestyle places little emphasis on health and fitness, which is the main reason this disease is so prevalent and deadly.In order to stay healthy and drastically reduce the risk of contracting heart disease you should switch to an all organic diet of mostly fruits and vegetables. Combine this with one hour of hard fitness exercise everyday and you will become a perfect physical specimen.Your heart will benefit too. Your new diet will keep your cholesterol levels and blood pressure where they should be. The exercise will keep your heart in shape and healthy. If people don’t start taking the benefits of health and fitness more seriously we will only see an increase in the cases of heart disease across the country.Why Does Someone’s Heart Fail?The most common reason someone’s heart fails is because their heart becomes incapable of effectively pumping blood through the arteries. This has increased the curiosity of cardiologists to know and understand exactly what causes heart disease.After much study and research, cardiologists have come up with some answers as to the major causes of heart disease which include:
* Negative Emotion
* High blood pressure
* Diabetes
* Stress
* Valvular heart disease
* Coronary artery disease
* Cardiomyopathy
* Family History
* SmokingAs you can see, each of these causes, besides family history, is itself caused by a poor lifestyle in regards to health and fitness. Now that you understand what the true cause of heart disease is it is now up to you to take action to transform your life into one of health and well-being.Don’t Forget About Your State Of MindIt think that many of us often forget the power of our emotions and thoughts. Virtually all disease is stress of one kind of another on the body. If you can learn to control your thoughts and anxieties so you can live a life of ease, peace and happiness your overall well-being will thrive.It is not something you need to do alone, as there are many effective courses and instructional material that teach you how to reduce stress and anxiety. There is just as much, if not more, material on activities like yoga and tai chi, which, on top of their spiritual components, will also help you improve your health and fitness levels.You may be realizing that preventing heart disease, or any disease for that matter, is not so difficult because it only requires a specific health and fitness regimen. All the resources and material to teach you how to do so is readily available online or at your local health food store.

In 2012 the Internal Revenue Service mandated that all non-profit hospitals undertake a community health needs assessment (CHNA) that year and every three years thereafter. Further, these hospitals need to file a report every year thereafter detailing the progress that the community is making towards meeting the indicated needs. This type of assessment is a prime example of primary prevention strategy in population health management. Primary prevention strategies focus on preventing the occurrence of diseases or strengthen the resistance to diseases by focusing on environmental factors generally.I believe that it is very fortunate that non-profit hospitals are carrying out this activity in their communities. By assessing the needs of the community and by working with community groups to improve the health of the community great strides can be made in improving public health, a key determinant of one’s overall health. As stated on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Blue Shirt Blog (CHNAs and Beyond: Hospitals and Community Health Improvement), “There is growing recognition that the social determinants of health – where we live, work, and play, the food we eat, the opportunities we have to work and exercise and live in safety – drive health outcomes. Of course, there is a large role for health care to play in delivering health care services, but it is indisputable that the foundation of a healthy life lies within the community. To manage true population health – that is, the health of a community – hospitals and health systems must partner with a broad spectrum of stakeholders who share ownership for improving health in our communities.” I believe that these types of community involvement will become increasingly important as reimbursement is driven by value.Historically, healthcare providers have managed the health of individuals and local health departments have managed the community environment to promote healthy lives. Now, with the IRS requirement, the work of the two are beginning to overlap. Added to the recent connection of the two are local coalitions and community organizations, such as religious organizations.The community in which I live provides an excellent example of the new interconnections of various organizations to collectively improve the health of the community. In 2014 nine non-profits, including three hospitals, in Kent County, Michigan conducted a CHNA of the county to assess the strengths and weaknesses of health in the county and to assess the community’s perceptions of the pressing health needs. The assessment concluded that the key areas of focus for improving the health of the community are:· Mental health issues· Poor nutrition and obesity· Substance abuse· Violence and safetyAt this time the Kent County Health Department has begun developing a strategic plan for the community to address these issues. A wide variety of community groups have begun meeting monthly to form this strategic plan. There are four work groups, one for each of the key areas of focus. I am involved in the Substance Abuse workgroup as a representative of one of my clients, Kent Intermediate School District. Other members include a substance abuse prevention coalition, a Federally qualified health center, a substance abuse treatment center and the local YMCA, among others. The local hospitals are involved in other workgroups. One of the treatment group representatives is a co-chair of our group. The health department wants to be sure that the strategic plan is community driven.At the first meeting the health department leadership stated that the strategic plan must be community driven. This is so in order that the various agencies in the community will buy into the strategic plan and will work cooperatively to provide the most effective prevention and treatment services without overlap. The dollars spent on services will be more effective if the various agencies work to enhance each others’ work, to the extent possible.At this time the Substance Abuse work group is examining relevant data from the 2014 CHNA survey and from other local resources. The epidemiologist at the health department is reviewing relevant data with the group so that any decisions about the goals of the strategic plan will be data driven. Using data to make decisions is one of the keystones of the group’s operating principles. All objectives in the strategic plan will be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART).Once the strategic plan is finished, the groups will continue with implementation of the plan, evaluating the outcomes of the implementation and adjusting the plan as needed in light of evaluation. As one can see, the workgroups of the CHNA are following the classic Plan-Do-Check-Act process. This process has been shown time and again in many settings-healthcare, business, manufacturing, et al-to produce excellent outcomes when properly followed.As noted above I recommend that healthcare providers become involved with community groups to apply population level health management strategies to improve the overall health of the community. One good area of involvement is the Community Health Needs Assessment project being implemented through the local health department and non-profit hospitals.