The National Heart Foundation of Australia (known as the Heart Foundation) is an independent charity established in 1959. Its vision is for Australians to have the best cardiovascular health in the world and its mission is to reduce suffering and death from heart, stroke and blood vessel disease in Australia.
Over the past five decades, the Heart Foundation has championed the heart health of all Australians by funding world-class cardiovascular research, supporting health professionals in their practice, developing health promotion activities, informing and educating the public, and assisting people with cardiovascular disease.
While the work of the Heart Foundation has helped to reduce the number of deaths, cardiovascular disease (heart, stroke and blood vessel disease) remains one of Australia’s most devastating health problems. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounted for nearly 34 per cent of all deaths in 2008. This translates to one person dying from CVD on average every 11 minutes. Heart disease is the leading single cause of death with more than 23,600 Australian lives lost to the disease in 2008.
The Heart Foundation has offices in each state and territory.
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