Louisiana

On Wednesday, May 1 close to 35 Circle of Red and Men in Red members from across the state gathered in Baton Rouge for Louisiana's 3rd Annual Go Red Lobby Day. They kicked off the day with lunch and an advocacy training at the Governor's manion, followed by a trolley ride to the State Capitol to meet with legislators about a priority issue for the American Heart Association - pulse ox.

This legislative session, the American Heart Association urges lawmakers to require that pulse oximetry be added to the routine newborn screenings. Pulse oximetry is a simple, non-invasive, inexpensive test that is extremely effective at detecting heart defects in newborns. Early detection of congenital heart defects will lead to early treatment, ultimately saving lives.  

Thank you to everyone who attended the event! Your voice truly made a difference to protect Louisiana's newborns from heart defects.

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common birth defects in the U.S. and the leading killer of infants with birth defects. They take a significant emotional and financial toll on families across Louisiana.

That's why we're thrilled on Wednesday, May 8th the House of Representatives voted in favor of the pulse ox bill (House Bill 322) that ensures all newborns receive a pulse oximetric screening before going home to detect heart defects. Pulse oximetry is a simple, non-invasive and inexpensive test that can identify some infants with a congenital heart defect before they show signs of a CHD and potentially save their lives. The pulse ox bill now heads to the Senate. Watch for You're the Cure alerts on how you can help!

Today is the 10^th National Wear Red Day. In honor of the day, Go Red for Women asks that women Go Red across the country in new and bold ways. Go Red by wearing red, raising funds for research and standing with women in their fight against their No. 1 killer – heart disease. Let’s turn America Red to shine a spotlight on heart disease in women.

So, how are you going red today? Let us know in the comment section below.

Currently in Louisiana, students must have two units of P.E. to graduate from high school with a half unit being health education and 1 ½ being physical education. The only substitution for P.E. is JROTC. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is expected to vote on changing this. The proposed change will allow marching band, cheerleading, dance team and extracurricular sports to count as a half unit of P.E.

Although these activities may provide some physical activity, the American Heart Association feels like they have distinctly different goals than physical education and do not provide the content of a comprehensive, standards-based P.E. program. Thus, these activities should not be allowed to fulfill a P.E. requirement.

The proposal goes before BESE’s Academic Goals & Instructional Improvement Committee on Tuesday, January 15th at 9:30 A.M. If it passes out of committee, it will go to the full BESE board for a vote on Wednesday, January 16 at 9 A.M.

You can help out today by taking action on the latest alerts in our Action Center! 

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we’d like to thank you, as a You’re the Cure advocate, for educating your lawmakers and others on many important heart and stroke issues. Our turkeys are holding signs for key issues that we’re thankful you supported. We did leave one sign blank just for you! Leave a comment below and tell us what your turkey is thankful for this year.

Today is the 37th annual Great American Smoke Out, when smokers are encouraged to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. 

The Surgeon General’s Report provides undeniable evidence that secondhand smoke is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.  That's why the American Heart Association is actively involved in passing smoke-free policies to improve heart health and prevent heart disease in Louisiana.  Smoke-free legislation was associated with substantially fewer hospitalizations and deaths from heart and respiratory diseases, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. Researchers reviewed 45 studies covering 33 smoke-free laws at the local and state levels around the United States and from countries as varied as Uruguay, New Zealand and Germany.

If someone you love is a smoker, encourage them to quit today.

I was born with three heart defects - ASD, VSD and PDA.  At age 6 I had open heart surgery in 1991 followed by heart surgery in 2005, with numerous heart caths along the way.  Today, the PDA remains to be repaired.

Some doctors said I wouldn’t graduate high school.  But I didn't let that expectation stop me.  I graduated from college in business of music and I'm now is in school to be a Surgical Tech.  During the 2013 state legislative session, I will actively support legislation to require pulse oximetry as part of Louisiana’s newborn screening panel to detect congenital heart defects.

Tim Bracey: Louisiana

My name is Tim Bracey and I am a heart disease survivor x 2. Born with congenital Aortic Stenosis, I had my first heart surgery at the age of nine in 1965.  Fortunately, my surgeon was excellent and he repaired my valve effectively.  

Due to living and promoting a healthy lifestyle, my original valve lasted 44 more years with only minimal problems.  During that time, I became a Clinical Exercise Physiologist and helped start the Cardiac Rehab program at East Jefferson General Hospital in 1980.  I served as the Supervisor for that program for 10 years, then became the Director of the Cardiology Department for 10 years.  I then fulfilled one of my dreams by helping develop and implement Wellness Centers for East Jeff then West Jeff Hospitals in the metro New Orleans area for the prevention of disease and to assist with Rehabilitation after the diagnosis of heart disease.

On Christmas Eve 2009, I had my second heart surgery to replace my Aortic valve with a mechanical St. Jude valve and had my Aortic Arch replaced with a Dacron Arch.  Had heart research not advanced during those critical years from the 1960's to the present, I simply would not be alive.  Heart and stroke research are vitally important to help save lives.  I know firsthand because it saved my life!

At the age of 56, I feel blessed and very fortunate to be a product of years of research and development of artificial valves and synthetic cardiac arches.  Please help keep others alive by fully supporting research.  We all deserve our best shot at the one life we have to live!

Louisiana's 2012 legislative session came to an end on Monday, June 4th.  Here's a recap of several issues we worked on.

Obesity Prevention: 

House Bill 993 by Representative Patrick Williams would have required day care facilities to institute a minimum daily level of physical activity and maximum daily level of sedentary activity for children in their care.  This bill failed in the House Health and Welfare committee.  The Department of Family and Child Services opposed the bill because they want to make this policy change regulatory.

House Bill 1088 by Representative Cameron Henry creates a Targeted Coordinated School Health Pilot Program within the LA State Department of Education that will allow them to apply for and collect grant money that will be used in targeted school districts for the specific purpose of increasing the health, nutrition and physical activity in schools.  We sought an appropriation to fund this program in the general budget, but did not receive it.

Tobacco Control: 

House Bill 378 by Representative Frank Hoffmann would have prohibited outdoor smoking within 25 feet of certain exterior locations of buildings and other enclosed areas where smoking is currently prohibited.  It made it out of the full House and the Senate Health and Welfare committee, but died on the Senate floor after several harmful and weakening amendments were added to it.

Acute Care: 

The Governor signed House Bill 362 by Representative Katrina Jackson into law.  The bill requires automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in high schools that participate in interscholastic activities.

House Committee Resolution (HCR) 78 by Representative Pat Smith creates a study committee to study the detection and prevention of heart disease in student athletes.

Louisiana's 2013 legislative session is expected to last from April 8 - June 6, 2013.  The fall is a great time for us to start planning for session!  Right now, we're planning to work on increasing the state's tobacco tax and mandating pulse oximetry screenings for all newborns.  We also anticipate to work on a few obesity prevention issues as well. 

Below is a brief update on what we're doing.

• Tobacco Control: We will meet with our tobacco control partners in early October to begin planning a campaign for the upcoming 2013 legislative session.  We most likely will be focusing on increasing the tobacco tax.
• Pulse Oximetry Screening: This is a new issue for the upcoming legislative session.  We will be working to mandate this test as part of the routine newborn screening panel to detect congenital heart defects in infants.  We're working on developing a coalition and have meetings set up with the American Academy of Pediatrics to bring them onboard.
• Obesity Prevention: In early fall we will begin planning our agenda for the 2013 legislative session with our obesity partners.  Some of these preliminary meetings were scheduled for this month but will have to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Isaac.

Stay tuned for You're the Cure alerts on how you can help with these priorities.