American Heart Month, 1999

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Part VII

The President

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Proclamation 7166--American Heart Month, 1999

Executive Order 13112--Invasive Species

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7166 of February 3, 1999

American Heart Month, 1999

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of scientists and
researchers and the strong support of the American
public, today we stand at the threshold of a new
frontier in the prevention and treatment of heart
disease. And in coming years, Americans will reap even
greater benefits from our ongoing commitment to heart
research.

Already, research has profoundly altered scientists'
understanding of heart disease, revealing that the
likelihood of heart disease is increased by risk
factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, high
blood cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, physical
inactivity, and a family history of early heart
disease. Armed with this knowledge, millions of
Americans have been able to take steps to reduce their
risk of illness. Thanks to scientific discoveries,
those already afflicted with heart disease now have
access to lifesaving therapies and procedures such as
clot-dissolving drugs, cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
defibrillation, and balloon angioplasty.

Even greater advances lie ahead. Fields on the verge of
delivering major innovations include molecular
genetics, gene therapy, biotechnology, immunology, and
epidemiology. The next breakthroughs will include
better noninvasive diagnostic tools that can help
physicians examine the heart and blood vessels without
surgery; an implantable mechanical device that can
restore heart function to those suffering heart
failure; and a drug that can promote the growth of new
blood vessels to body tissues and organs with poor
circulation.

But technology is not a panacea. Despite the great
gains we have made, heart disease remains the leading
cause of death in the United States, and millions of
Americans have at least one risk factor for heart
disease. Moreover, recent data have shown a slight rise
in the death rate for stroke and a slowing in the
decline of the death rate for coronary heart disease.
Some cardiovascular conditions, such as heart failure,
as well as two key heart disease risk factors, obesity
and physical inactivity, are on the increase among
Americans.

We must work together to make all Americans aware of
the information science has given us regarding
controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
It is particularly important that we reach out to
African Americans, Hispanic Americans, other minority
communities, and women, who often are at high risk for
heart disease and stroke, and ensure that they have
access to the resources and information they need to
guard against these afflictions. We must also encourage
families to teach their children the importance of
adopting healthy lifestyle practices early and
maintaining them into and throughout adulthood.

The Federal Government continues to play a vital role
in improving the cardiovascular health of Americans by
supporting research and public education through the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the
National Institutes of Health. The American Heart
Association, through its research and education
programs and its broad network of dedicated volunteers,
also plays a crucial part in bringing about much-needed
advances.

As Americans look ahead to a new century and a new
millennium, we should use the momentum of past heart
research as a springboard to even greater gains. In
recognition of the importance of the ongoing fight
against cardiovascular disease, the Congress, by Joint
Resolution approved December 30, 1963 (77 Stat. 843; 36
U.S.C. 169b), has requested that the President issue an
annual proclamation designating February as ``American
Heart Month.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim February
1999 as American Heart Month. I invite the Governors of
the States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials
of other areas subject to the jurisdiction of the
United States, and the American people to join me in
reaffirming our commitment to combating cardiovascular
disease and stroke.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
third day of February, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
third.