Press Release
BOLLING RECEIVES HEART HEALTH ADVOCACY AWARD FROM AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
-Virginia Lieutenant Governor recognized for raising cardiovascular awareness through his Lieutenant Governor's Challenge: Your Heart Is In Your Hands initiative-
Friday, March 13, 2009WASHINGTON, DC - Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling has received a major award from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) for his work to promote cardiovascular awareness through his Lieutenant Governor's Challenge: Your Heart Is In Your Hands initiative. Bolling was given the award at a Thursday dinner at the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) Winter Meeting in Washington, DC.
"I am honored to receive this recognition from the American College of Cardiology," said Lieutenant Governor Bolling. "Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women in America. However, by taking simple steps to increase physical activity and eat better, you can improve your heart health and significantly decrease risks of heart disease. I am extremely pleased that thousands of Virginians are participating in the Lieutenant Governor's Challenge and taking ownership of their personal heart health."
The award was given as special recognition for Lieutenant Governor Bolling's leadership on heart health issues. The award states: "The American College of Cardiology recognizes Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling for his exemplary work turning cardiovascular knowledge into practice to improve lives and the state he serves".
The primary mission of the ACC is to advocate for quality cardiovascular care-through education, research promotion, development and application of standards and guidelines-and to influence health care policy.
"Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling is a partner and an important advocate for heart health. We appreciate his leadership and work on The Lieutenant Governor's Challenge: Heart Is In Your Hands Initiative. By raising awareness of the small changes that can be made in citizens' daily lives, Lieutenant Governor Bolling is making a big change in Virginia's fight against heart disease," said Jack Lewin, M.D., CEO of the American College of Cardiology.
The Lieutenant Governor's Challenge: Your Heart is in Your Hands initiative is a heart and cardiovascular health campaign designed to promote heart health education, healthier living, increased physical activity and improved diet and nutrition. The Challenge is a 12-week incentive based program where participants set personal fitness goals and receive points for completing simple 30-minute, everyday physical activities, such as walking, gardening or playing sports. Participants can also earn points for eating certain healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables aimed at lowering cholesterol and caloric intake.
As a part of The Challenge, Bolling also set a personal goal of losing 20 pounds. Bolling has lost 24 pounds to date.
Virginians can log onto www.ltgovernorschallenge.us to accept The Challenge, create their own personalized website to view point values and track their progress.
Since the program started in October 2008, 3,562 Virginians have signed up to participate in The Challenge. Those participants have completed 1,971,483 minutes of physical activity, which is the equivalent of 32,858 hours or 1369 days of exercise, and earned 155,060 nutrition points for eating fruits and vegetables. 796 Virginians have already reached their personal goals and have received gold, silver or bronze medals to recognize their achievement.
Lieutenant Governor Bolling currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the NLGA, a non-partisan, professional association for the elected officials who are first in line of gubernatorial succession. Bolling is slated to become the Association's chair at their Annual Meeting in July.
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For additional information contact Randy Marcus at 804-814-7117 (cell) or randy.marcus@ltgov.virginia.gov.
