Measuring Researching and Monitoring the Quality of Health Care - Voluntary Health Organizations

The American Heart Association

The mission of the American Heart Association is "to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke." The association's national headquarters is in Dallas, Texas, and twelve regional affiliate offices serve the balance of the United States. More than twenty-three million volunteers and supporters were involved with association programs and activities during 2003–04.

The American Heart Association was started by a group of physicians and social workers in New York City in 1915. The early efforts of this group, called the Association for the Prevention and Relief of Heart Disease, were to educate physicians and the general public about heart disease. The first fundraising efforts were launched in 1948 during a radio broadcast, and since then the AHA has raised millions of dollars to fund research, education, and treatment programs.

In addition to research, fundraising, and generating public awareness about reducing the risk of developing heart disease, the American Heart Association has published many best-selling cookbooks featuring heart-healthy recipes and meal planning ideas. The American Heart Association is also considered one of the world's most trusted authorities about heart health among physicians and scientists. The organization publishes five print journals and one online professional journal, including Circulation, Stroke, Hypertension, and Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

The American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society (ACS) makes its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and has more than thirty-four hundred offices across the country. The ACS mission is "to eliminate cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service."

The ACS is the biggest source of private, not-for-profit funding for cancer research—second only to the federal government. By 2004 the ACS had invested more than $2.5 billion in cancer research at leading centers throughout the United States. It also supports epidemiological research to provide cancer surveillance information about occurrence rates, risk factors, mortality, and availability of treatment services. The ACS publishes an array of patient information brochures and four clinical journals for health professionals—Cancer, Cancer Cytopathology, CA—A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and Cancer Practice. The ACS also maintains a twenty-four-hour consumer telephone line staffed by trained cancer information specialists and a Web site with information for professionals, patients and families, and the media.

In addition to education, prevention, and patient services, the ACS advocates for the more than eight million cancer survivors, their families, and every potential cancer patient. The ACS seeks to obtain support and passage of laws, policies, and regulations that benefit persons affected by cancer. The ACS is especially concerned with developing strategies to better serve the poor and persons with little formal education, who historically have been disproportionately affected by cancer.

The March of Dimes

The March of Dimes was founded in 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt to help protect America's young people from polio. In addition to supporting the research that produced the polio vaccine, the March of Dimes has advocated birth defects research and the fortification of food supplies with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects. The March of Dimes also has supported increasing access to quality prenatal care and the growth of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to help improve the chances of survival for babies born prematurely or those with serious medical conditions.

The March of Dimes continues to partner with volunteers, scientific researchers, educators, and community outreach workers to help prevent birth defects. March of Dimes funds genetic research, investigates the causes and treatment of premature birth, educates pregnant women, and provides health care services for women and children including immunization, checkups, and treatment for childhood illnesses.

In 2000 the March of Dimes set forth the following four goals for the immediate future:

• To reduce birth defects, the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States, by 10%
• To reduce infant mortality to seven deaths per one thousand live births. The United States ranks twenty-fifth in terms of infant mortality, trailing twenty-four countries where babies have greater chances of living until their first birthdays.
• To reduce low birth weight babies (less than 5.5 pounds) to no more than 5% of all live births since these babies are less likely to live until their first birthdays, and when they do may suffer serious health consequences
• Increase the proportion of women receiving prenatal care during the first trimester (the first three months of pregnancy) to 90% because early prenatal care is linked to healthier pregnancies and infants

In May 2004 the March of Dimes called on congressional leadership to increase federal support for prematurity research and education, and promoted passage of S.1726, known as the PREEMIE Act, to authorize expanded research, education, and services into the causes and prevention of premature birth.