American Heart Association Honors Innovators Addressing Cardiovascular Health Barriers Through Community Solutions

The American Heart Association has recognized two community-focused innovators with its 2026 Impact with Heart recognition for developing scalable solutions that remove barriers to cardiovascular health care. This comes as cardiovascular disease is projected to affect at least 6 in 10 U.S. adults, with related health care costs expected to triple, according to research from https://newsroom.heart.org/news/population-shifts-risk-factors-may-triple-u-s-cardiovascular-disease-costs-by-2050. The Association emphasizes that optimal cardiovascular health depends not only on clinical care but also on access to coverage, transportation, nutritious food, and stress-reducing support.

Impact with Heart focuses on supporting local, community-based entrepreneurs and organizations through the Association's Social Impact Funds and its EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™. This support combines investment capital with coaching and strategic guidance to help ensure participating companies succeed. The recognition highlights innovative approaches to addressing social drivers of health, which are critical factors influencing cardiovascular outcomes.

Mammha, a Miami-based Social Impact Funds portfolio company, was honored for transforming perinatal mental health care. Founded and led by CEO Maureen Fura, Mammha's text- and web-based platform streamlines maternal mental health screening, referral, and treatment both in clinics and remotely. This approach helps more mothers experiencing depression and anxiety receive timely, culturally relevant support, addressing a significant factor in overall cardiovascular health.

ThriveLink, headquartered in St. Louis and an EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator alumnus, was recognized for using AI-powered voice technology to enroll families in essential programs like Medicaid, food assistance, and utility support. Founded and led by CEO Kwamane Liddell, ThriveLink removes internet and literacy barriers by allowing people to complete complex applications by voice, reducing paperwork obstacles and connecting families to life-changing resources. A recent investment by the Social Impact Funds is accelerating ThriveLink's reach.

Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, stated that the challenges ahead demand new approaches, partnerships, and bold leadership. The Impact with Heart recognition showcases what's possible when mission-driven innovators receive resources, trust, and support to scale ideas that remove barriers to care and improve lives. The Association's Social Impact Funds, launched in 2018 as part of American Heart Association Ventures, support organizations tackling key social drivers of health through equity investments, loans, and grants.

The EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator provides philanthropic support and an MBA-style curriculum that helps health-focused entrepreneurs refine business models, strengthen storytelling, and prepare to scale solutions addressing food and nutrition security, access to care, and community impact. These initiatives represent strategic responses to the growing cardiovascular disease burden documented in research such as the Presidential Advisory published at https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001256, which forecasts the burden of cardiovascular disease and stroke through 2050.

The recognition of Mammha and ThriveLink demonstrates how addressing structural barriers to health care access can contribute to better cardiovascular outcomes. By supporting innovations that make health care and essential benefits more accessible, the American Heart Association aims to create scalable solutions that can be implemented nationwide. This approach aligns with broader calls to address fundamental drivers of health disparities, as discussed in advisory documents like https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.000000000000093, which examines structural racism as a fundamental driver of health disparities.