This post was authored by Vera Bittner, MD, MSPH, FACC, chair of ACC’s Prevention Committee.

Cardiovascular disease prevention is central to the mission of the ACC, and many entities within the College, including the ACC’s Prevention Committee, have contributed to this important mission through advocacy, education, and patient-centered care initiatives. However, previous coordination between these efforts was limited, and in May 2012, the Prevention Committee was challenged by the ACC’s Clinical Quality Committee (CQC) to rethink its role and mission within the College. Through tireless ACC staff efforts and discussions with multiple internal and external stakeholders, a new committee charter was developed and subsequently approved by both the CQC and the ACC Executive Committee.

Key goals of the ACC Prevention Committee include:

• Act as a liaison to – and a voice for – preventive cardiovascular specialist members within and on behalf of the College
• Mentor Fellows in Training, early career members, and CCA members interested in prevention
• Serve as ACC’s “access point” for collaborations with other societies and government entities on projects related to prevention including but not limited to:
  • Assuming coordination of the ACC’s partnership with the Million Hearts Initiative
  • Coordinating the dissemination of the upcoming prevention guidelines within the College with the College's representative to the National Institutes of Health-led National Program to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
  • Maintain communications and collaborations with key professional societies active in the field of prevention (e.g. American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Society of Hematology, and more)
• Provide input on ACC guidelines and performance measures relating to cardiovascular disease prevention, as appropriate
• Serve as a resource to the Advocacy department and other entities within the College
• Serve as a resource to address disparities in cardiovascular risk factor incidence, prevalence, awareness and treatment
• Serve as a resource to CardioSmart.org for patient-centered initiatives
• Support dedicated resources for prevention specialists, including but not limited to, access to guidelines, point of care reference tools, and quality improvement tools
• Create specific practical and clinical programming and content geared towards cardiovascular disease prevention at the ACC’s Annual Scientific Session and at Chapter meetings, as appropriate
• Work toward recognition as a Council within the ACC

The ACC Prevention Committee will only be successful in fulfilling its goals with the help and input from a wide cross-section of ACC physician and non-physician members, including those who are still in training. For those interested in or focused on preventive cardiology, please let us know who you are and consider volunteering to participate in projects coordinated by the committee. Let us know what gaps need to be addressed and how the committee can assist you in prevention efforts, be it in your own practice and community or at the chapter or national level. We welcome suggestions for educational programming and development of toolkits to facilitate implementation of prevention into daily practice. Let us know what you would like to see on CardioSource.org and collaborate with your patients to develop new ideas for CardioSmart. Help us develop relationships with prevention-focused organizations to facilitate joint prevention initiatives. Please direct all questions, comments and ideas, to Eva Grace, ACC Prevention Committee staff, at egrace@acc.org.

Check out the new CardioSmart Community on CardioSource and stay up-to-date on the latest CardioSmart features that can improve your practice.

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