American Heart Association Recognizes Innovators Tackling Barriers to Cardiovascular Health

The American Heart Association has recognized two community-focused innovators with its 2026 Impact with Heart recognition, highlighting scalable solutions to make health care and essential benefits more accessible as cardiovascular disease burdens escalate. Driven by demographic shifts and increasing risk factors, at least 6 in 10 U.S. adults are projected to have some form of cardiovascular disease, with related health care costs expected to triple, according to research cited by the Association. This projection is detailed in the advisory Forecasting the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in the United States Through 2050.

Optimal cardiovascular health is shaped not only by clinical care but also by access to coverage, transportation, nutritious food, and stress-reducing support, as noted in the Association’s advisory Call to Action: Structural Racism as a Fundamental Driver of Health Disparities. The Impact with Heart program focuses on lifting up local, community-based entrepreneurs and organizations powered by the Association’s Social Impact Funds and its EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator. This support pairs investment capital with coaching and strategic guidance to help ensure participating companies succeed.

This year’s honorees include Mammha, a Miami-based Social Impact Funds portfolio company 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 in clinics and remotely to help more mothers who may be experiencing depression and anxiety receive timely, culturally relevant support. The other honoree is ThriveLink, a St. Louis-headquartered EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator alumnus 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 hurdles so people can complete complex applications by voice, reducing paperwork barriers 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, new partnerships, and bold leadership, with Impact with Heart showcasing powerful examples of what’s possible when mission-driven innovators are given resources, trust, and support to scale ideas that remove barriers to care and improve lives.

Launched in 2018, the Association’s Social Impact Funds, part of American Heart Association Ventures, support for-profit and nonprofit organizations tackling key social drivers of health—health care access & quality, food security, and economic vitality—through a program of 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 underscore the Association’s commitment to accelerating scalable health care solutions to change the future of health for everyone everywhere, particularly as cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death, killing more than all forms of cancer combined annually.

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