Czech Heart Association (CHA)

The ultimate goal of this Internet-Based Tobacco-Control Program in the Czech Republic (TOB-CCP) -- creation of a private voluntary cardiovascular disease prevention society that would operate at the grass roots level and take action on tobacco control and cardiovascular disease prevention-was accomplished fully by October 2000. The legal groundwork was laid, office space leased, and an experienced Executive Director hired for the Czech Heart Association by December 1999, and the CHA is currently housed at the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM) in Prague.

In October 2000 the TOB-CCP Network, Czech experts in related fields, and international partners convened at a Tobacco Control Conference in Podebrady to officially launch the CHA and help develop its strategy and program priorities. A press conference at the conclusion of the conference announced the CHA to the public.

An eleven-member Board of Directors oversees the CHA including: Jan Bruthans, MD - Chairman, Ivo Stolz, M.D., Rudolf Poledne, Prof., Ph.D., Milada Dobiasova, Ph.D., Office Director, Zuzana Urbanova, M.D., pediatrician, Richard Ceska, M.D., lipidologist, Ivan Malek, M.D., cardiologist, Petr Niederle, Prof., M.D., cardiologist, Jan Pirk, Prof., M.D., cardiac surgeon, Venuse Smejkalova, M.D., internist, and Petr Bartunek, M.D., cardiologist.

Modeled after the American Heart Association, the CHA is using public outreach, legislative advocacy, and media relations as its main tools for tobacco control and cardiovascular disease prevention to benefit of the nation's health.

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