Forty-three-year-old Michael walked into the George Washington University Hospital Emergency Room complaining of chest pain. The Washington D.C. handyman had no health insurance but was not eligible for any financial assistance programs.
Health Across America
Health Across America Overview
The Larry King Cardiac Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1988 to provide funding for life-saving treatment for individuals who, due to limited means or no insurance, would otherwise be unable to receive the treatment and care they so desperately need. In an effort to reduce the number of under-served men and women who will need critical care, the Foundation has created Health Across America an outreach program that provides access to information, diagnostics and consultation at the point at which such intervention can prevent, delay, or treat cardiovascular diseases.
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Larry King Cardiac Foundation’s Health Across America initiative is to target and provide under-served communities access to screening and counseling that aids in the early detection and control of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Addressing risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and smoking greatly reduces risk for illness and death from heart disease. Since, screening, intervention, and treatment services for these risk factors are often beyond the reach of minority and low-income populations, these populations have a disproportionate burden of death and disability from cardiovascular disease. The Larry King Cardiac Foundation is dedicated to funding life-saving cardiac care to uninsured individuals by directly providing medical procedures and therapie
Program
The LKCF Health Across America initiative has been launched into various communities with a key opinion leader symposiums sponsored by the Larry King Cardiac Foundation in collaboration with each of the thirteen LKCF partner Cardiac Centers (for a complete list, please see Locations). Mr. King moderates panel discussions on the current state of cardiac care and the U.S. healthcare crisis, which includes the participation of top business, healthcare, prevention and advocacy representatives. Topic include: State of Heart and Health Care in America, Metabolic syndrome, Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Child Obesity as well as other health related topics that are pertinent to cardiovascular disease.
Our goal is to make significant advances in reducing health disparities in cardiovascular disease through promoting heart health at the community level by encouraging early diagnosis and taking steps to prevent and control factors that put people at greater risk.
The LKCF intends to accomplish this goal with like-minded organizations. Health Across America is a community collaboration funded by the LKCF through grants, gifts in kind and partnerships. The following organizations are partnering on this initiative:
- National Institute of Health: National Heart Lung Blood Institute
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Cover the Uninsured
- Sister to Sister: Everyone Has a Heart
- Renowned hospitals, as local host, in each market, e.g. Cleveland Clinic, New York Presbyterian, LA County Hospital and many others
State of Heart and Health Care in America symposiums have been conducted in collaboration with George Washington University Hospital, The Cleveland Clinic, and LAC+USC Medical Center and Rush Medical Center. Representatives from business, healthcare, prevention and advocacy were represented by industry voices. Examples of such distinguished representatives included John Castellani, president of Business Roundtable, David Merritt of The Gingrich Group’s Center for Health Transformation; medical experts Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, Director of National Heart Lung Blood Institute, Dr. Steve Nissen, Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic and immediate past president of American College of Cardiology, Dr. Mark Carlson, Chief Medical Officer for St. Jude Medical; Tony Zook, CEO AstraZeneca and Irene Pollin, Founder of Sister to Sister.
For more information about this program, please contact Holly Lee or Larry King, Jr at 301-670-9504.
