Impact in Your Community, Respond Now

Despite significant advances in prevention and treatment, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for nearly three in 10 deaths nationwide and claiming more than 940,000 lives each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and one of the leading causes of serious long-term disability nationwide, according to the Stroke Awareness Foundation, affecting nearly 800,000 Americans each year.

For decades, it’s been against the law for Medicare to pay for weight-loss medication, but that changed on July 1, with the launch of a new program called Bridge. It gives some people over 65, or who have Medicare for other reasons, access to some weight management medications if they meet certain weight and health criteria.

As the United States celebrated 250 years of independence, two Rio Grande Valley families welcomed historic milestones of their own.