Ohio Senate designates Feb. 14 as Cardiovascular Health Awareness Day

The Ohio Senate on May 20 passed Senate Bill 18 to designate Feb. 14 as Cardiovascular Health Awareness Day, a measure sponsors said is intended to boost screenings and public awareness about heart disease.

Senator Reynolds, sponsor of the bill, told the Senate that heart disease is a leading, largely preventable cause of death and urged the chamber to act. "Heart disease doesn't announce itself with sirens or breaking news alerts. It works quietly, claiming an Ohioan every 90 minutes every single day," she said, and described how a free community screening led a constituent to lifesaving care.

The nut graf: supporters said the designation is designed to raise awareness about risk factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, tobacco use and obesity), to encourage screenings and to mobilize community and workplace programs. Reynolds described an anecdote about a 42-year-old constituent who, after a community screening, learned she had dangerously high blood pressure and received medical care.

Senator Craig, joint sponsor, cited statewide statistics and public-health data to underscore the scale of the problem, saying that heart disease remains the leading cause of death. He told colleagues the Ohio Department of Health reported more than 30,000 deaths from heart disease for a referenced year and noted that Ohio ranks twelfth in heart-disease death rates nationally (as stated on the floor).

The bill passed by roll call, recorded as 33 yeas and 0 nays. Sponsors said the designation will encourage local screenings, workplace wellness activities and public education campaigns; the floor debate did not tie the designation to a specific state appropriation.