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As recently reported by CNN Health1 and
Time Magazine,2 five things account for nearly two-thirds of all deaths in the US, or about 900,000 each year:

• Heart disease     
• Cancer     
• Lung disease     
• Stroke     
• Unintentional injuries, including medication overdoses and car accidents

According to a recent Morbidity and Mortality report3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least one-third of all of these deaths could be prevented. As noted by CNN:

“We already know how to do it — now we need to act on what we know. Whether it’s by investing resources, using proven strategies or coordinating with health care systems, we have within our communities the strengths to help people live long and healthy lives.

Even identifying and focusing on just one issue that can be addressed in each community will make a difference. The greatest impact comes when we make the default choice the healthy choice — for example, making heart-healthy actions part of the normal course of everyday life.”