2023 Senate Resolution 68

Whereas, The American Heart Association (AHA) defines cholesterol as a waxy, fat-like substance circulating in the blood; and

Whereas, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies two types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C); and

Whereas, LDL-C contributes to fatty build ups in the arteries, and HDL-C carries the LDL-C away from the arteries and back to the liver; and

Whereas, High cholesterol, also called hypercholesterolemia, is the chronic presence of high levels of LDL-C in the blood that can lead to cardiovascular disease; and

Whereas, The AHA explains that cardiovascular disease can refer to a number of conditions including heart disease, atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia, and heart valve problems; and

Whereas, According to the CDC, nearly 94 million adults in the United States have high cholesterol; and

Whereas, The CDC estimates that someone in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds, but 80 percent of heart attacks are preventable; and

Whereas, The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) co-leads the Michigan Million Hearts Initiative along with AHA of Michigan, which is committed to the effective use of clinical and community strategies to diagnose and treat people with heart disease and its risk factors; and

Whereas, MDHHS’ Cardiovascular Disease Dashboard data from 2011-2019 found a 9.4 percent prevalence of cardiovascular disease among Michigan adults age 18 years and older; and

Whereas, Heart disease accounted for 76 percent of disease hospitalizations between 2016 and 2019, as reported by MDHHS; and

Whereas, AHA indicates that cardiovascular disease disproportionately affects minority populations; and

Whereas, AHA data also reports that, from 2015-2018, 60.1 percent of Black men and 58.8 percent of Black women over the age of 20 had cardiovascular disease, compared to 52.3 percent of Hispanic men, 42.7 percent of Hispanic women, 53.6 percent of white men, and 42.1 percent of white women; and

Whereas, Researchers with the Family Heart Foundation found that despite the availability of effective treatments for high cholesterol, 71 percent of hypercholesterolemia patients at high risk for heart attack and stroke never achieve LDL-C levels below recommended thresholds; and

Whereas, The LDL-C Action Summit, a consortium of the nation’s leading cardiovascular stakeholder groups, seeks to cut cardiovascular events in half by 2030; and

Whereas, The CDC’s Million Hearts Program is a national initiative to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes between 2022 and 2027; and

Whereas, The CDC views high cholesterol as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including heart and stroke; and

Whereas, September is recognized as national Cholesterol Education Month to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and the importance of knowing one’s LDL-C number; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, That the members of this legislative body recognize September 2023 as Cholesterol Education Month and September 1, 2023, as Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) Awareness Day; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge healthcare providers to treat all cardiovascular disease patients in accordance with the American College of Cardiology’s treatment guidelines; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge MDHHS to update the state’s cardiovascular plan to accelerate quality improvements and measures to achieve improved health outcomes for cardiovascular disease patients.