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AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation Awards $154,320 Grant to Poudre Valley Health System Foundation
[February 11, 2014]

AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation Awards $154,320 Grant to Poudre Valley Health System Foundation


FORT COLLINS, Colo. --(Business Wire)--

The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation's Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program today announced a grant of $154,320 to the Poudre Valley Health System Foundation to support its Healthy Hearts Family Intervention.

Healthy Hearts works to interrupt patterns of cardiovascular disease in low-income families in northern Colorado through increased comprehension of cardiovascular disease risk factors; heart-healthy lifestyle behaviors; physical activity; and improved clinical measures such as body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Children and their parents are trained together in this intergenerational initiative to reduce risks and improve heart health.

"Educating our children about healthy lifestyles and heart health is essential but ineffective unless we are able to effectively achieve family support and involvement in the process," said Gary Luckasen, M.D., medical director of research, Poudre Valley Health System. "This grant from the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation will help us promote heart health across generations."

The rate of obese adults in Larimer County has been on the rise for the past five years in contrast to the rest of Colorado. A higher percentage of residents in Larimer County die from heart disease and stroke than the state average, according to 2012 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment.1 2 The grant from the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation will help the Healthy Hearts program to improve these health statistics.

"Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and organizations like the Poudre Valley Health System Foundation are creating innovative programs to help prevent and decrease the associated risks with this devastating disease," said ames W. Blasetto, M.D., MPH, FACC, chairman of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. "We are grateful to the Poudre Valley Health System Foundation for its commitment to improving heart health in their community."



The Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program annually awards grants of $150,000 or more to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving cardiovascular health in local communities. This year, the program awarded nearly $3.7 million in grants to 19 organizations. More than $14 million in grants have been awarded through the program since its inception in 2010.

Organizations can learn more and apply online for a Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM grant at www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation. Applications must be submitted online no later than 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 27, 2014.


About Poudre Valley Health System Foundation

The mission of the Poudre Valley Health System Foundation is to support its affiliated hospitals and clinics in the delivery and advancement of world-class health care in northern Colorado. The foundation realizes its mission through the development and stewardship of philanthropic resources in support of the hospitals' mission and strategic goals. Learn more at www.pvhs.org/foundation.

About AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation

Established in 1993, the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is a Delaware not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) entity organized for charitable purposes, including to promote public awareness of healthcare issues, to promote public education of medical knowledge, and to support or contribute to charitable and qualified exempt organizations consistent with its charitable purpose. Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM was launched in 2010 through a charitable contribution of $25 million from AstraZeneca.

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1 Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. Larimer County Births and Deaths 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.chd.dphe.state.co.us/Resources/vs/2012/Larimer.pdf.

2 Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. Colorado Births and Deaths 2012. Retrieved: http://www.chd.dphe.state.co.us/Resources/vs/2012/Colorado.pdf.


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