Crapo To Head Bi-Cameral Health Coalition

Washington, DC â??Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has been tapped to co-chair the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition, filling the vacancy left by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee). He joins current Senate co-chair Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) and House co-chairs Mark Foley (R-Florida) and Lois Capps (D-California).â??It is indeed an honor to serve as co-chair of this coalition, which has done a great job in educating the public about cardiovascular diseases,â?? Crapo said. â??Cardiovascular diseases like heart disease and stroke are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year, with more than 62 million people living with one or more forms of CVD. We need to do all that we can to raise awareness and encourage early diagnosis and preventive actions. I look forward to the health promotion and education efforts we will undertake to continue the work the Coalition already has in place.â??Since Crapoâ??s successful bout with prostate cancer in 1999, he has become increasingly involved in health awareness activities, both in Idaho and in Congress. He is the third year of sponsorship of the Mike Crapo Health Awareness booths at regional fairs in Idaho; the booths provide cancer screenings for free or at a reduced costs as well as cholesterol and blood pressure checks. He speaks out frequently on health-related matters and disease prevention and early diagnosis. Earlier this year, he received a national award from the National Prostate Cancer Coalition for his activism on the issue.The Coalition is committed to increasing awareness about cardiovascular diseases and heart and stroke issues. It also acts as a resource center for issues like biomedical research, quality and availability of care, and health promotion/disease prevention.# # #