The Mended Hearts, Inc., affiliated with the American Heart Association, is a national non-profit organization offering the gift of hope to heart patients, their families, and caregivers for more than 50 years.

Mended Hearts has 18900 members operating through 274 community-based chapters across the U.S. with two in Canada. Chapters partner with more than 423 hospitals and cardiac care facilities in providing patient-to-patient support services, In 2005-2006 Mended Hearts accredited volunteers made more than 224,000 visits to patients in person, online, or by phone.

Educational and Support Programs

In-Person Visiting Program

Because Mended Hearts members represent the very kind of people they serve —those impacted by heart disease, they draw on personal experience as they inspire and help others. The heart patient and family gain hope by seeing other patients who have survived heart disease and are healthy. Last year, Mended Hearts trained volunteers made more than 177,000 in-person visits to heart patients and 28,409 in-person visits to family members and caregivers for a total of more than 206,000 in-person visits.

Internet Visiting/Toll-free Help Line

Patient-to-patient connections online and by phone totaled 15,881 last year reaching 12,867 patients.

Group Meetings

Support Groups — The support groups help people understand that there can be a rich, rewarding life after heart disease. Members are there to listen, share their experiences, and discuss matters relating to lifestyle changes, depression, recovery, and treatment.

Health Information Workshops — Healthcare professionals and businesses are invited to provide valuable information and answer questions.

Generational Outreach Program

Recognizing that heart patients are of all ages, Mended Little Hearts was launched in 2004 to provide support and encouragement to parents of children born with congenital heart defects and heart disease.

Educational Materials

Patients and Their Hearts (PATH) Pack

A trained visitor offers a PATH Pack to each heart patient/family during a hospital visit. The educational folder includes health information, support group connections, guidance for maintaining a quality of life after a heart event, lifestyle changes, local MHI chapter information, etc. The current annual distribution is 160,000 households.

Heartbeat

The national magazine, Heartbeat, is published on a quarterly basis to communicate health and valuable information, inspirational survivor stories and chapter news. Heart patients read about survivors and the possible quality of life. The magazine also demonstrates to its readers that there is a national network of caring individuals that they can turn to support them on their road to recovery. The current annual print is 80,000 and distributed to the Mended Hearts members.