The National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention together with eleven collaborating partners released video messages about the importance of flu vaccination featuring Million Hearts® Executive Director Laurence Sperling. The 15, 20, 35, and 56-second videos show Dr. Sperling sharing facts about the increased risk of a heart attack or death faced by people with heart disease who get the flu. The videos direct viewers to an online vaccine finder to locate vaccination sites near them.
The videos are co-branded by the organizations representing consumers, patients with cardiovascular disease, and clinicians who treat them. Members of one partner, Families Fighting Flu, have lost loved ones to influenza and aim to help other families prevent such tragedies.
The organizations include:
- National Forum
- Million Hearts
- American College of Cardiology
- American Heart Association
- American Pharmacists Association
- American Society for Preventive Cardiology
- Association of Black Cardiologists
- Families Fighting Flu
- National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
- National Association of County and City Health Officials
- The Ohio State University Office of the Chief Wellness Officer
- Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
In addition to the videos, the National Forum offers a toolkit with fact sheets and sample social media messages that other organizations can co-brand and use to raise public awareness that flu vaccination prevents hospitalizations and saves lives. The videos and resources are available at https://www.nationalforum.org/mhcflu.