Updated Seventh Edition ACHD Travel Directory Now Available
It's that time of year—we recently released our newly updated Seventh Edition ACHD Travel Directory.
The directories are free for ACHA members! If you would like one of these resources for your personal use, simply e-mail orders@achaheart.org with your name and mailing address. For a printer-friendly PDF, click here.
Leadership Update: Announcing our 2012 Annual Report
In the last few weeks, I have had the pleasure of spending time with ACHA’s supporters at events in New York, Portland, Long Island, and Chicago. At every venue, ACHA members want to know the same three things: How is ACHA benefiting the patients and families we serve? What specific actions is ACHA taking to help CHD patients live longer, healthier lives? And finally, how is ACHA making sure that it uses funds responsibly, effectively, and efficiently so that every donation has maximum positive impact for the congenital heart community?
Leadership Update: What Does it Mean to Live With CHD?
What does it mean to live with congenital heart disease? This is a question that ACHA members answer every day. There are more than a million answers to this question, since there are now over one million adults living with CHD, each one navigating their unique journey living with their heart.
Remembering George Warren, ACHA Board Member
The ACHA community was deeply saddened by the loss of longtime ACHA board member Dr. George H. Warren on April 29, 2013. George was born in 1947 with tetralogy of Fallot, and underwent heart surgery in 1955 and 1964 for his defect. He graduated from Harvard College in 1969, and received his MD from Temple Medical School in 1975. For more than 30 years he worked as a pathologist at the University of Colorado and the Rose Medical Center.
Local News Feature on ACHD Highlights ACHA
A recent news story on Philadelphia's 6ABC Action News, "Treating Adult Congenital Heart Disease," featured ACHA and President/CEO Amy Verstappen's story.
Leadership Update: We're Springing Up All Over the Country!
Spring has sprung here at ACHA, and in the next few months, ACHA will be springing up all over the country! A key strategic goal for 2013 was to strengthen ACHA’s regional engagement and impact. Our first 2013 regional event, co-sponsored by the Chicago Adult Congenital Heart Network, kicked off in Chicago on March 21, and brought together more than 30 patients, family members, and ACHD providers. Our next two regional events are planned for June 6 in Los Angeles and June 8 in Portland, OR. Each will offer a chance to meet ACHA staff and Ambassadors, learn more about ACHA and congenital heart issues, and connect with other heart defect survivors and their families.
Leadership Update: People Power on Display
What does democracy mean to you? The dictionary tells us that democracy is an ancient Greek word combining the word for people, “demos,” with the word for power, “kratos”—people power. For many of us, regardless of political persuasion, what goes on in Washington can sometimes feel far removed from the wants and needs of actual people. I was reminded of democracy’s origins last week, as I said goodbye to the beautiful country of South Africa. Many of us remember 1994, when South Africans expressed their “people power” by standing in line for days to vote in that country’s first democratic election.
A Community United: Contact Your Legislators on March 19!
On March 19, 2013, hundreds of congenital heart disease (CHD) advocates will be reaching out to their lawmakers to ask for three simple things:
- Research
- Data Collection
- Caucus Participation
Leadership Update: The Season of Hearts
Hearts, hearts everywhere, but not one of them looks like what beats in the average chest—let alone what’s hard at work inside congenital heart survivors. This season of hearts presents a tremendous opportunity to get the word out about the real hearts and lives affected by this country’s #1 birth defect: CHD. In honor of CHD Awareness Week, throughout February ACHA invites all congenital heart patients, their families, and healthcare providers to participate in our “I’m #1” campaign. It’s easy – just go to our Facebook Page, click on Photos, then Albums, and download the pictures that are right for you. You can then upload these images onto your own page, and invite your community to “like” them and help spread the word.
Join ACHA for CHD Awareness Week!
This February, and especially during CHD Awareness Week, the Adult Congenital Heart Association is running a grassroots awareness and public relations campaign during Heart Month to educate the public about CHD—specifically to help educate the world that CHDs are the number one birth defect and that they require lifelong care.