In 2009, Dr. Fred Bove, the then ACC President, highlighted the importance of keeping cardiovascular care patient centered by  declaring it the "Year of the Patient".  Since then patient centered care has been emphasized as a value running throughout the College and centric to all its efforts. 

There are many ways the College is supporting patient education efforts both nationally and at the Chapter level, including our alignments with the Mended Hearts patient group and the Walk With A Doc program through CardioSmart, ACC's initiative aimed at engaging and informing patients to better prepare them for participation in their own care. Many Chapters have taken on this challenge.

The latest Cardiosmart efforts include the "I Am Cardiosmart" Patient Contest.  Interested patients will submit their success stories on our website and six winners will be selected to share their stories and bring hope and inspiration to all our patients.  Contest details and the registration form can be found on: www.cardiosmart.org/iamcardiosmart.aspx, and a flyer to put in your waiting room can be found above. Deadline for submission is November 5.