Leadership Update: Speak Up for CHD
As the national summer heat wave continues, it is hard for many of us to think about anything other than staying cool. But despite the heat, summer is the time for one of the most important things you can do to speak up for CHD—in-district visits. During August, ACHA members around the country will be sitting down with their national lawmakers at their home offices to let them know how important it is to sustain and increase government investment in CHD research and health surveillance throughout the lifespan. Think talking to your lawmakers and their staff won’t make a difference? Think again—it was the efforts of CHD patients, family members, and healthcare providers that resulted in the first-ever targeted federal funding for congenital heart public health efforts in 2012.
Leadership Update: Announcing our 2011 Annual Report
In a few days it will be the first day of summer, which here in Philadelphia means the sound of kids jumping through sprinklers, the smell of barbecue, and that lazy feeling that comes with hot, humid days. But at ACHA we will be turning up the air conditioners and staying hard at work on all our exciting summer initiatives. One of our biggest recent achievements is the publication of our 2011 Annual Report, designed by ACHA Heart to Heart Ambassador Karen Psolka.
Webinar Update: Social Security Disability and the Compassionate Allowance Program in the Adult Congenital Heart Community, June 20
ACHA announces its newest webinar, "Social Security Disability and the Compassionate Allowance Program in the Adult Congenital Heart Community," presented by Jamillah Jackson on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, from 12-1 p.m. EDT. The webinar will cover the difference in Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Social Security Insurance (SSI), the seven CHD diagnoses added to the Compassionate Allowance Initiative (CAL) initiative in July 2011, and much more. To register, click here.
This webinar was made possible in part by an unrestricted educational grant from Actelion.
Share Your Memento with ACHA!
Do you have an object that has come to mean something very special to you throughout the ups and downs of having CHD? A favorite stuffed animal, toy, or other knick-knack that you’ve kept around to remind you of where you’ve been and how far you’ve come?
Share a picture of this memento with ACHA! We are looking for members to submit a picture of your keepsake along with a few sentences about why it’s so meaningful to you. We’ll share photos and stories on our Facebook page!
Leadership Update: How to Use Your Passion for CHD
Azaleas in bloom, pollen in the air, and our Congenital Heart Walk around the corner—it must be May in Philadelphia! Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of attending Congenital Heart Walks all over the country. Whether in Oakland or Ohio, Congenital Heart Walk attendees share remarkable qualities.
Leadership Update: New Video Premiere
Last week ACHA celebrated an extraordinary milestone: A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcement of a new grant program funding public heath surveillance activities for teens and adults with CHD.
CDC Announces Plans for $2 Million in CHD Surveillance Funding
ACHA is excited to announce another step in the right direction!
As you know, the 2012 budget that was passed in December 2011 included $2 million in funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for congenital heart disease (CHD) surveillance. On Monday, April 9, the CDC announced plans to use that money!
Have a Question for ACHA? Ask Captain Cardio!
Have a question you’ve always wanted to ask ACHA? If so, you can participate in a new feature and “Ask Captain Cardio” your question! Simply e-mail your question—any question—to CaptainCardio@achaheart.org, and we will choose questions and answers to publish in our monthly e-newsletters.
Webinar Update: Living with Truncus Arteriosus, April 17
ACHA announces its newest webinar, "Living with Truncus Arteriosus," presented by Mike McConnell, MD, on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, from 7-8 p.m. EDT. The webinar will cover what it means to have TA and what surgical options are available, as well as what issues to look for in adulthood. Attendees will also learn how to lead as productive a life as possible. To register, click here.
This webinar was made possible in part by an unrestricted educational grant from Actelion.
Results: The Meil Family Foundation Valentine Challenge
This year, ACHA set an ambitious goal to raise $40,000 in the month of February through the Meil Family Foundation Valentine Challenge. For those of you not keeping track, that’s 42% more funding than in 2011. Our donors rose to the challenge and raised more than $44,000 for ACHA through their personal gifts and solicitations of family members and friends!