1. HeartLinks Demonstration Guide
Lauren Hicks Barton, MD, MPH

2. HeartLinks is a Signature Program that provides chapters a unique opportunity to increase awareness and educate about heart disease, and promote heart-healthy lifestyles throughout the communities we serve.

3. Heartlinks Toolkit
The on-line HeartLinks Toolkit contains tools and resources to help chapters develop heart health programs.
The purpose of this on-line demonstration is to introduce members to the various components of the toolkit and to demonstrate how easy it is to use.

4. HeartLinks Toolkit
While all the components are important, the following three of the most vital components are: 1. HeartLinks Curriculum 2. Red Dress Initiative 3. The Heart Truth®
Ask Link Mary does she want to change these components?

5. HeartLinks Curriculum
HeartLinks Curriculum (Chapters can conduct 1 or more sessions, depending on the objective(s) of the program) “With Every Heartbeat Is Life (WEHL)” Heart Health Manual was created especially for African American communities by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

6. HeartLinks Curriculum
The WEHL manual is designed to educate and assist people to develop skills to make practical, lasting changes to help fight heart disease. The WEHL sessions for Links chapter implementation are as follows:

7. With Every Heartbeat Is Life Curriculum
Know Your Risk for Heart Disease
Act In Time: Heart Attack Signs
Heart Healthy Eating
Eat In A Healthy Way
Control Your High Blood Pressure
Keep Your Cholesterol In Check
Take Good Care of Your Diabetes for Life
Say Yes To Physical Activity
Aim for a Healthy Weight
Smoking
Link Mary – Can we make the text background green?

8. Curriculum, Continued
With regard to the sessions on the previous slide highlighted in red, demonstrate at least one physical activity session and one healthy eating session. All other sessions are optional, depending on the amount of time available for the demonstration.

9. Awareness Tools The Heart Truth® Campaign For Women
(A national awareness campaign developed by NIH/NHLBI):
The Heart Truth® Campaign – Chapters can use this kit which contains a presentation to hold a one-hour informational session on women and heart disease.
Red Dress Initiatives – Chapters can view event ideas from The Heart Truth® Campaign and from the HeartLinks Toolkit for Heart Month (February) to warn women about their risk of heart disease and inspire them to take action. For more information, click and

10. Lifestyle Programs and Tools
Walk For Healthy Living— formerly Project Walking Fete: Make Health A Habit
WEHL – Lists the 2 modules (focusing on two of the program components--physical activity and healthy eating) and the 4 sessions. Identify WEHL as the curriculum resource
HeartLinks Toolkit (
NHLBI (
American Heart Association (

11. How To Access The HeartLinks Toolkit

12. Requirements Laptop with internet access
Know your Links user name and password
Adobe Acrobat

13. How To Access The HeartLinks Toolkit
The HeartLinks Toolkit is accessed on the Profile Dashboard:
Log into website
Go to Members Only section (top right-hand)
Enter your user name and password
The user name is usually the first initial of the first name followed by the last name
Password is usually member number

14. How To Access The HeartLinks Toolkit

15. How To Access The HeartLinks Toolkit

16. How To Access The HeartLinks Toolkit
After logging into scroll down on the Profile Dashboard and click on the HeartLinks Toolkit.

17. Heart Links Toolkit

18. HeartLinks Toolkit
The following slides depict information to be found in the HeartLinks Toolkit…

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