Are You at Risk for Heart Disease?

During the month of February, Americans see the human heart as the symbol of love. February is American Heart Month, a time to show yourself the love. Learn about your risks for heart disease and stroke and stay "heart healthy" for yourself and your loved ones.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)-including heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure-is the number one killer of women and men in the United States. It is a leading cause of disability, preventing Americans from working and enjoying family activities. One CVD costs the United States over $300 billion each year, including the cost of health care services, medications and lost productivity.

CVD does not affect all groups of people in the same way. Although the number of preventable deaths has declined in people aged 65 to 74 years, it has remained unchanged in people under age 65. Men are more than twice as likely as women to die from preventable CVD.

Having a close relative who has heart disease puts you at higher risk for CVD. Health disparities based on geography also exist. During 2007-2009, death rates due to heart disease were highest in the South and lowest in the West.

Race and ethnicity also affect your risk. Nearly 44% of African American men and 48% of African American women have some form of CVD. And African Americans are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to have high blood pressure and to develop the condition earlier in life. About 2 in 5 African American adults have high blood pressure and fewer than half of them have the condition under control.

Many CVD deaths could have been prevented through healthier habits, healthier living spaces, and better management of conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Take It One Step at a Time

You can control a number of risk factors for CVD, including:

• Diet
• Physical activity
• Tobacco use
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes

As you begin your journey to better heart health that can last a lifetime, keep these things in mind:

• Try not to become overwhelmed. Every step brings you closer to a healthier heart, and every healthy choice makes a difference!
• Partner up. The journey is more fun-and often more successful-when you have company. Ask friends and family to join you.
• Don't get discouraged. You may not be able to take all of the steps at one time. Get a good night's sleep-also important for a healthy heart-and do what you can tomorrow.
• Reward yourself. Find fun things to do to decrease your stress. Round up some colleagues for a lunchtime walk, join a singing group, or have a healthy dinner with your family or friends.

Leadership Sunnyvale is a 501c3 California not-for-profit public benefit corporation. Leadership Sunnyvale's mission is to develop and empower individuals from the diverse Sunnyvale community to become effective leaders through training in the fundamentals of leadership and community awareness skill sets.

A component of the training offered to participants in each session is a presentation by the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) on the department's mission within the community. On January 24, members from DPS participated in a daylong session providing information and presentations on the inner workings of the department. Presentations included a historical review of the department, the department's current mission, vision and values, and overviews of the following areas: Bureau of Police Services, Bureau of Fire Services, Office of Emergency Services, Crime Prevention, Emergency Medical Services, and the Investigations Unit. 

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office also participated in the presentation and provided an overview of the DA's Office. Members of Leadership Sunnyvale were able to see several live demonstrations by the Police Canine Unit and a variety of the Public Safety vehicles from both the Police and Fire Bureaus.

On the evening of January 15, Sunnyvale Explorer Post 417 held its first big fundraiser at PF Chang's. Before this, the Explorers had only raised money through tee-shirt and hero bear sales. The fundraiser was a huge success, and PF Chang's has already offered to do another event later in the year. The Explorers mingled with guests, and helped the servers fill waters and bus tables. PF Chang's gave the Post a percentage of the night's dinner sales.

The event raised more than $1000 to benefit  Explorer Post 417, a self-funded program within the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. The purpose of the program is to expose interested young men and women to the Public Safety field, and open the door to a future in this exciting, and challenging career. Sunnyvale's Explorer Post is the only one in the area that offers exposure to both the Police and Fire fields.

The Program is open to anyone who has finished eighth grade and is 14-20 years old. Meetings are held the first and third Wednesday of each month from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. Interested teenagers are welcome to attend a meeting to learn more. For more information please visit Explorer Post 417 at Explorers.inSunnyvale.com

Neighborhood Preservation Promotes a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Community The Neighborhood Preservation (NP) Unit within the Department of Public Safety closed nearly 2,000 code enforcement cases from July 1 through December 31, 2013, half way through Fiscal Year 2013/14. The most common violations were weeds and overgrown vegetation; junk, debris, and outside storage; unpermitted construction; and nuisance business signs.

The NP Specialists tasked with enforcing the Sunnyvale Municipal Code requirements first attempt to achieve voluntary compliance. This is done through education and cooperation, which includes notifying the property or business owner of the violation and providing a reasonable time period to correct it. A large majority of violations are corrected after the first notice. When compliance is not met, administrative citations may be issued. Only 58 citations were issued from July 1 through December 31, 2013. During that same time period, 93 percent of the code violation cases were resolved within 30 days.

Sunnyvale's NP Specialists regularly look for nuisance violations causing visual blight throughout the City, rather than only responding to complaints from the public. This proactive strategy results in the resolution of many violations before they become a significant irritant or problem to neighboring properties and the community.

Doug Moretto accepts the annual Murphy Award that was presented to the The Sunnyvale challenge team for outstanding inspirational mentoring in youth leadership. 

On February 5, representatives from Sunnyvale Public Safety's Crime Prevention Unit joined law enforcement personnel and Special Olympics athletes from throughout the bay area for the 2014 LETR Kick Off Conference in Livermore. The annual planning meeting included recaps of last year's very successful Northern California events which helped law enforcement agencies raise more than $1 million for Special Olympics. Attendees got to meet some the beneficiaries of their efforts - the athletes and their families. 

Athlete Karissa's mom stood at the podium and told her family's story as she expressed heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities her daughter has received through Special Olympics and their law enforcement partnership. Athlete Jonathon Sparks performed the National Anthem to start off the conference then co-hosted the event alongside LETR Director and Santa Clara Police Department's Captain Dan Winter. A group of athletes gave a basketball skills demonstration and then were presented with awards from some of the officers in the audience.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics is the movement's largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle. At its most basic level the Torch Run is an actual running event, in which officers and athletes run the Flame of Hope™ to the Opening Ceremonies of local Special Olympics competitions and State and National Games. Annually, more than 85,000 dedicated, compassionate and volunteer law enforcement officers participate in the torch run throughout 35 nations, 12 Canadian provinces and 50 US states, raising more than $46 Million USD for local Special Olympics programs and more than $461 Million since its inception in 1981.

• April 15 Tip a Cop at Country Gourmet 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
• May 22 Tip a Cop at Faultline Brewing Company 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
• June 19 Law Enforcement Torch Run, Sunnyvale Leg
• July 16 Tip a Cop at PF Chang 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
• August 28 Tip a Cop at Firehouse Grill and Brewery 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.