MEDIA CONTACT
Alycia Davis, (402) 471-1449,
alycia.davis@nebraska.gov
Lincoln, NE – February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is a leading cause of death across the United States. In Nebraska, for men and women 35-74 years of age, heart disease is the second leading cause of death behind cancer. Heart disease becomes the leading cause of death in men and women over the age of 75.
According to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2025 Update, between 2017 and 2020, 127.9 million US adults (48.6%) had some form of cardiovascular disease. In 2021, nearly 19.41 million people across the globe died of cardiovascular disease.
“Heart health is not just a concern for Nebraskans with risk factors. Heart health is a cornerstone for overall health and well-being," said DHHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Timothy Tesmer. “I encourage all Nebraskans to prioritize taking small steps such as improving our diets, increasing physical activity, or managing stress to increase our heart health. These small steps will lay the foundation for a stronger, healthier future."
In most cases, heart disease is preventable when people adopt a healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, treating high blood pressure, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, and getting regular health checkups with a primary care provider.
In 2001, Nebraska received additional funding to address the top two leading causes of death in Nebraska women. The program not only provides breast and cervical cancer screening but also addresses heart disease risk in women. Women eligible for the Every Woman Matters Program (EWM) are ages 35-64, low to moderate income with no insurance. Over 10,000 Nebraska women have been served. Heart disease screening services include office visits, blood pressure checks, cholesterol checks, blood sugar (glucose) checks, and risk reduction counseling. EWM works with over 435 providers and community partners to provide these clinical services, education, and training.
Over the past five years, EWM has provided 4,442 cardiovascular screening services. Half of these women had two to four risk factors. All were referred to services supporting lifestyle changes. After the women completed the lifestyle services programming, almost half lost at least two pounds, one of every four lost more than five pounds, and one of every ten women lost more than 10 pounds.
To learn more about heart disease screening services in Nebraska, check out this fact sheet https://dhhs.ne.gov/Documents/WW%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf.
For more information on EWM screening services, visit https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Every-Woman-Matters.aspx, or enroll by visiting https://bit.ly/EWM-NCP-HLQ or calling (800) 532-2227.