You can make a difference
The burden of atherosclerosis or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (also known by its medical abbreviation ASCVD) is real, and it is growing. It is a health challenge that affects over 300 million people around the world1 and it needs to be addressed in an urgent manner by the healthcare changemakers and governments in your country.
If you are a patient advocate, patient or professional organization from the cardiovascular community, you are a voice that represents this Invisible Nation and you can help make a difference.
By drawing attention to, and elevating awareness of, ASCVD you will help to support action and solutions for individuals around the world at risk of a heart attack, stroke or death. Be part of the movement that activates systemic change and puts ASCVD at the top of the health agenda.
To help you get started, in this section you will find information and tools that can support you with awareness raising and advocacy in your country – reaching stakeholders who can add weight to your efforts.
Stay tuned for more as we will continue adding more useful tools and content.
THE POWER OF ADVOCACY
How to make a difference by advocating for ASCVD and the Invisible Nation in your country.
To make a difference you will need to get organized to make your case and make noise in a way that will allow ASCVD to stand out among all the other health issues. Changemakers for healthcare such as governments and other decision makers have multiple issues that require attention so they must choose what to support. Advocating will help position ASCVD as the healthcare issue that deserves attention and urgent addressing.
Bringing about positive change
Through advocacy you can:
| 01 | Raise awareness of the magnitude of ASCVD and its significant impact on the health of individuals and families in your country. |
| 02 | Drive urgency to implement novel approaches to address ASCVD. |
| 03 | Improve the health and quality of life of people living with ASCVD in your country. |
| 04 | Help gain control of ASCVD, improve the statistics. |
- Raise awareness of the magnitude of ASCVD and its significant impact on the health of individuals and families in your country.
- Drive urgency to implement novel approaches to address ASCVD.
- Improve the health and quality of life of people living with ASCVD in your country.
- Help gain control of ASCVD, improve the statistics.
ADVOCACY ESSENTIALS
Know your issue: ASCVD key messages and talking points will be your foundation.
Position your issue: Use the ASCVD facts and figures in this section but be sure to have numbers that help you position the magnitude of the issue in your country.
Mobilize a team: Having medical professionals and patients ready to advocate with you will help bring different perspectives.
Drive awareness of ASCVD to create the right environment for your discussions with changemakers: Engage with media and leverage social media to spread reach and recognition of your message.
Do your research: There may be key decision makers, politicians or a local influencer living with ASCVD who can help you champion your cause to give it visibility and clout.
Once you have the essentials in place, go for it! Book meetings with key members of government and other stakeholders. You can start with your local representative and make your way to other decision makers responsible for health policy in your country.
KEY MESSAGES / Q&A
Having a set of clear messages that tell a story, will help you communicate about ASCVD and the Invisible Nation and convey why it’s important to all audiences. The important thing to remember about key messages is that consistency and repetition is critical to ensure your messages get heard.
Use your key messages at every opportunity – on social media, in speeches, when speaking to decision maker or politicians, in a press release, or in a media interview. Having a Q&A will help guide you with responses to questions you may get. To maximize impact tailor messages and answers to your local context and disease burden.
POSITIONING THE INVISIBLE NATION AND ASCVD
To elevate awareness of ASCVD and create an understanding about who the Invisible Nation is, you will need to have a good understanding of the topic. You’ll also want those you are advocating to want to know more about it.
Here are some downloadable and printable materials, including an ASCVD fact sheet, talking points and an infographic to get you started.
CREATING AWARENESS
When it comes to advocacy, creating background noise when you reach out to government or decision makers is a plus. Whether it is through traditional media or social media, elevating ASCVD on different public platforms is important so that people in your country understand what it is and the seriousness of the problem.
Creating social media posts for different platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram will allow you to reach a broad audience. The more you post, the more visibility you will bring to ASCVD and the Invisible Nation.
Encourage people to like and share your posts. Expanding the movement is the best way to bring attention!
Here is some social media content to get you started.
JOIN GLOBAL HEART HUB
All cardiovascular disease patient groups and organisations across the world are welcome to be part of the Global Heart Hub. Affiliation is FREE and is open to all heart patient organisations.
References:
- Roth GA, Mensah GA, Johnson CO, et al. Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors, 1990-2019: Update From the GBD 2019 Study [published correction appears in J Am Coll Cardiol. 2021 Apr 20;77(15):1958-1959]. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020;76(25):2982-3021.
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