Presidential Documents

5291

Federal Register

Vol. 62, No. 23

Tuesday, February 4, 1997

Title 3—

The President

Proclamation 6971 of February 1, 1997

American Heart Month, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More than 700,000 men and women die each year of heart disease, making

it the leading cause of death in our country. Annually, about 1.5 million

Americans suffer heart attacks, one-third of which are fatal. Collectively,

diseases of the heart and blood vessels claim about 960,000 American lives

annually. These statistics only hint at the individual and collective tragedy

brought on by heart disease and stroke and underscore the need for us

to do everything possible to combat cardiovascular diseases.

Research has brought dramatic improvements to our knowledge of heart

disease and how to combat it. We have learned much in recent years

and now know that the processes leading to heart disease typically begin

early in life and worsen over the years; symptoms often do not appear

for decades. We also better understand the effects of genetics, gender, and

lifestyle. High blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes,

and obesity increase the risk of developing heart disease; physical activity

can reduce the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease, including stroke.

Additionally, research has brought improved diagnostic methods and treatments for those afflicted with heart disease. Noninvasive imaging devices

can now show the heart at work inside the body, giving doctors more

precise information about their patient’s condition. And new tests and therapies allow us to detect and treat a heart attack more effectively and minimize

damage to the heart muscle.

These striking developments in biomedical techniques and increased public

awareness and education have helped reduce the death rate from heart

disease by nearly 60 percent in the past 30 years, and deaths from stroke

by about 65 percent.

The Federal Government has contributed to these advances by supporting

research and public education programs of the National Heart, Lung, and

Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. The American

Heart Association also has played a crucial role in bringing about these

remarkable accomplishments through its research and education programs

and the work of dedicated volunteers.

Yet much remains to be done. The incidence of obesity has risen dramatically

over the past 30 years, and renewed efforts are needed to make all Americans

aware of how they can lower the risks of heart disease by adopting a

commonsense regimen of diet, exercise, and, in some cases, medication.

More, too, must be done to help survivors of initial heart attacks live

full lives. Within six years of a heart attack, for instance, more than a

third of those afflicted develop severe and often disabling chest pain. Onefourth or more of them will have another heart attack, and another fifth

suffer heart failure. The challenges posed by heart disease are becoming

ever more pressing as America ages and more of us live beyond age 65—

the group most affected by this disease.

In the face of these daunting challenges, we Americans, acting individually

and collectively, can fight heart disease and give ourselves and our families

a healthy future.
5292 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 23 / Tuesday, February 4, 1997 / Presidential Documents

In recognition of these important needs in the ongoing battle 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 1997, 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 first day of

February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and

of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred

[FR Doc. 97–2932

Filed 02–03–97; 11:26 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

and twenty-first.

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