Mended Hearts International Foundation Will Be Launched to Empower Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases Worldwide

For more than seven decades, patients with cardiovascular diseases have found hope through a simple but powerful concept: peer-to-peer support from those who have walked the same journey. Now, the mission of The Mended Hearts, Inc. (MHI) will expand globally with the establishment of the Mended Hearts International Foundation (MHIF).

This independent, endowed, nonprofit foundation will be based in Geneva, Switzerland, and will work with national and international decision and policymakers — including politicians, legislators, professionals and associations — to develop healthcare policies and regulatory frameworks that support patient-centered care across multiple disease states, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney diseases, cancers, sleep apnea and depression.

The Foundation will participate in the Mended Hearts International Network (MHIN), which will include The Mended Hearts, Inc. (USA), Mended Hearts Europe (MHE) and Mended Hearts University, Inc. (MHU). Additional nonprofits are expected to join the MHIF, including Mended Little Hearts, Inc., Mended Hearts Asia and other nonprofit organizations.

Overall, the MHIF will have four main mandates:

• Support patients and their families by creating an inclusive and compassionate community through peer-to-peer support and meaningful connections
• Empower patients and their families by providing relevant education and resources that enable them to make better decisions about their healthcare
• Develop educational research projects and rely on research and input from the patient communities, in particular through the entities of the Mended Hearts International Network
• Preserve the values and ethics of the Mended Hearts International Network

Building on the success of MHI, the world’s largest peer-to-peer cardiovascular patient support network, the MHIF will represent the natural evolution of expanding resources to support the 523 million patients, according to the CDC, who suffer with cardiovascular diseases worldwide.

“The MHIF believes in a world where every patient with cardiovascular disease is empowered with the resources and support needed to make better decisions about their healthcare and live a healthy life,” said A.R. Voss, Founder. “Through our networked organizations, we will inspire hope and improve the quality of life of patients, their families and their caregivers through ongoing support, education and advocacy.”

MHIF’s advocacy efforts will focus on monitoring national and international legislative and regulatory changes, supporting ethical and legal reforms, backing alternate funding programs and organizing conferences to educate patient communities about healthcare policy changes. The Foundation will also build coalitions to help patients become empowered advocates for change.

The Foundation will be governed by a Board of Directors with at least three members, along with auditors, the Mended Hearts International Advisory Committee and any other body designated by the MHIF Board. The Advisory Committee will include two representatives from each MHIN entity, one staff member serving as secretary and all MHIF Board members.

For more information about the Mended Hearts International Foundation, contact info@mendedheartsfoundation.org.

About Mended Hearts International Foundation
The Mended Hearts International Foundation (MHIF) will be an independent, endowed, nonprofit foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland, established to coordinate global advocacy efforts for patients with cardiovascular disease and their families. The Foundation will work with national and international policymakers to develop patient-centered healthcare policies and regulatory frameworks.

Additionally, MHIF will develop educational research projects, create educational resources and support patients and their families by creating an inclusive and compassionate community. It will also oversee the Mended Hearts International Network, which includes entities across multiple countries dedicated to providing peer-to-peer support, patient education and advocacy for cardiovascular patients worldwide.

About Mended Hearts, Inc.
The Mended Hearts, Inc. (MHI) is the world’s largest peer-to-peer cardiovascular patient support network with more than 125,000 members residing in 73 countries. Founded in 1951 and incorporated in 1955, MHI’s mission is “to inspire hope and improve the quality of life of cardiovascular disease patients and their families through ongoing peer-to-peer support, education and advocacy.”

MHI’s three programs — Mended Little Hearts^®, Young Mended Hearts^®, and Mended Hearts^® — make MHI the only organization in the world that supports patients with all forms of cardiovascular diseases throughout a patient’s entire lifespan.

MHI volunteers personally inspire, educate and empower nearly 400,000 patients and family members in-person each year through a robust network of members who provide services and outreach in 643 hospitals, plus cardiology offices, clinics, cardiac rehab centers and local communities. MHI’s support reaches another 7+ million individuals each year through social media channels, blogs, web pages and outreach.

Beyond peer support, MHI serves as a trusted provider of patient education and resources, including HeartGuide^® patient and parent resource guides, interactive GoToGuides, trifold discussion guides, videos, webinars, Heartbeat^® magazine, and regional meetings and educational conferences.

The MHI ACTION NETWORK™ brings together a community of patients, families, caregivers and researchers dedicated to advocating for those living with cardiovascular disease.

For more information, visit mendedhearts.org.

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