This post was authored by Shal Jacobovitz, chief executive officer of the ACC.

Each February, Heart Month provides an important opportunity to raise awareness about heart disease – the leading cause of death around the world. This year, the ACC is using Heart Month to provide cardiovascular professionals and the patients they serve with tools and resources to help prevent, or at the very least minimize, major cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and smoking.

Kicking off the month, the ACC and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) are hosting a Twitter Chat tomorrow, Feb. 3 from 1-2 p.m. ET. The chat will feature experts from both the ACC and the ADA discussing the relationship between diabetes and heart disease, tips to reduce the risk of diabetes, and new tools and research on the horizon to help both patients and health care providers best treat the disease. Follow @CardioSmart and use the hashtag #DiabetesHeart to follow along.

Also be on the lookout throughout the month for special guest blog posts from members of the ACC’s Prevention Section on how to talk to patients about active living, nutrition and smoking. The College will also be sharing infographics on these topics via the ACC’s Facebook page that can be used in your own social media channels and in conversations with patients. Check out our first infographic on sugar intake to coincide with the Twitter chat, here.

We’ll also be joining with other partners to raise awareness of congenital heart disease, heart failure and cardiac rehabilitation during special dedicated awareness weeks throughout the month as well, so stay tuned to ACC’s Twitter and Facebook pages for details.

Finally, Heart Month wouldn’t be complete without the announcement of the winners of our annual “I am CardioSmart” contest. Each week, the College will be profiling an amazing individual who is living with heart disease. Get ready to be inspired. You can read their profiles on CardioSmart.org or on CardioSmart’s Facebook page.

Happy Heart Month!

Check out this CardioSmart video, Diabetes and Heart Disease: Management with a Team Approach.

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