A Cardiovascular Health Plan for Europe
Launched 16 May 2022 - Achieving Cardiovascular Health for All: A new vision for Europe
When our partners launched the European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health in September 2021, we were driven by the commitment to share expertise and raise awareness on the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Europe. CVDs make no difference of age and gender, and they affect the young and the old, and women and men alike while also being linked with huge inequalities.
The question is simple: how can we address these challenges and ensure better cardiovascular health for all people in Europe? Surprisingly, the answer can also be a rather simple one.
First, we believe that collaboration is key. As the European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health (EACH), we bring together and represent not only tens of millions of patients, but also more than 300,000 healthcare professionals, hundreds of health industry companies, health insurers covering the medical costs of more than 200 million people, and millions of people living with genetic CVD risk factors but who have not yet been diagnosed. The Alliance can truly speak for everyone, and this is what we intend to do.
Second, we believe in the power of having a policy plan to promote cardiovascular health and address the burden of the disease in a coordinated manner across the EU. This is what the event hosted by Friends of Europe was all about: presenting the Alliance’s Action Plan. A plan that aims to reduce premature and preventable deaths in Europe by one third in 2030, improve access for all to high quality cardiovascular risk assessments, to set multi-disciplinary care pathways, and pave the way for greater quality of life for all.
Watch the discussion at the launch of the Cardiovascular Health Plan
The public event took place on 16 May 2022, featuring:
Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
Prof. Stephan Achenbach, President of the European Society of Cardiology
Brando Benifei, MEP, co-chair of the MEP Heart Group
Juozas Olekas, Member of the European Parliament and former Lithuanian health minister
Dr Héctor Bueno, Clinical cardiologist and researcher at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre
Joanne Fleming, Project Manager of YOUNG50 #Stay Healthy - Cardiovascular Risk Prevention
Message from the MEP Heart Group
The success and impact of a European CVH Plan will be shaped not only by what is achieved over the next few years, but also by how it is achieved, leaving no-one and no country behind. EACH calls on addressing societal barriers, underserved populations, discrimination on all grounds, and fundamental inequalities pervading health systems across Europe. At EACH, we know that now is the time to act.
Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.