The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Founded by six cardiologists in 1924, the AHA now includes more than 22.5 million volunteers and supporters. AHA funds innovative research, fights for stronger public health policies, and provides critical tools and information to save and improve lives. AHA's nationwide organization includes 156 local offices and more than 3,000 employees. AHA moved their national headquarters from New York to Dallas in 1975 to be more centrally located. The American Stroke Association was created as a division in 1997 to bring together the organization’s stroke-related activities.
To improve the lives of all Americans, AHA provides public health education in a variety of ways. AHA is the nation’s leader in CPR education training. AHA helps people understand the importance of healthy lifestyle choices and provides science-based treatment guidelines to healthcare professionals to help them provide quality care to their patients. AHA educates lawmakers, policymakers and the public as they advocate for changes to protect and improve the health of our communities. AHA's volunteer experts select scientific research most worthy of funding – with great results. The association has funded more than $3.7 billion in heart disease and stroke research, more than any organization outside the federal government.
- From: www.heart.org