Meharry and Novartis Partner on HEART Initiative for Healthier Communities

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[{"type":"text","content":"Five years, three cities and one mission to address cardiovascular disease, the nation’s leading cause of death","length":111,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"NASHVILLE, Tenn., November 03, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The School of Global Health at Meharry Medical College, in partnership with Novartis, today announced the launch of Health Assessments and Rapid Transformation (HEART), a five-year initiative that aims to improve heart health in three US cities through population health approaches addressing clinical and non-clinical determinants of health. Guided by community voices and powered by research, policy, and technology, HEART seeks to reduce cardiovascular health disparities and create scalable models that can be applied nationwide.","length":587,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. On average, one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease, accounting for nearly one in every three deaths nationwide. A person’s cardiovascular risk and outcomes can be compounded by socio-economic status and where they live. A recent study found that Medicare beneficiaries who are food insecure, socially vulnerable, and whose income is close to or below the poverty line are more likely to have heart disease. Beyond the devastating human toll, heart disease also places a massive economic burden on the country, costing an estimated $417.9 billion between 2020 and 2021 in health care services, medicines, and lost productivity.","length":781,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""In the United States, life expectancy can differ by decades between neighboring communities, reflecting deep structural divides. At the same time, our nation has made the least progress among developed countries in reducing preventable deaths, with cardiovascular disease leading those deaths," said Daniel E. Dawes, JD, SVP of Global Health and Founding Dean, School of Global Health at Meharry Medical College. "This initiative provides us with the opportunity to truly address the root causes of cardiovascular disease and get to the heart of the matter by leveraging the upstream determinants of health."","length":629,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The HEART Initiative will...

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