Heart disease in Arkansas

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Arkansans.

In 2020, there were 8,621 deaths due to heart disease in our state.

Arkansas ranked 4th among all states for the highest heart disease mortality in 2020.

In most cases, heart disease is preventable.

February is American Heart Month, a time when we can all focus on our cardiovascular health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type of heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease (CAD), which affects the blood flow to the heart. Decreased blood flow can cause a heart attack.

High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease.

Nearly 1 in 2 U.S. adults have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Yet, only 1 in 4 have it under control.

Important lifestyle changes can help people who have high blood pressure reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke. These include quitting smoking, moving more, and eating healthy foods.

We know changing your lifestyle can be challenging. That is why the General Assembly has worked to make more resources available.

In the 2021 Regular Session, we passed legislation that allowed the Arkansas Works program to be replaced by the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me program, or ARHOME.

Just like with Arkansas Works, ARHOME uses Medicaid dollars to buy health care coverage for qualified Arkansans from qualified health plans.

ARHOME focuses on improving your health, not just providing reliable health care coverage. ARHOME encourages you to be an active partner with your health care plan and work together to reach your health and well-being goals.

We also ensure tobacco cessation programs are funded with tobacco settlement funds. If you smoke, know that quitting will lower your risk for heart disease. For free help to quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

You can find other ways to improve your heart health by visiting www.bewellarkansas.org .