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Did you know you are more likely to survive a plane crash than sudden cardiac arrest? According to the National Transportation Safety Board, you have a 95 percent chance of survival. Cardiac arrest? On average, 8 percent. A national rate that has not moved significantly in more than 30 years despite technological, medical and citizen training improvements.

There’s no better time than the New Year to reflect on past milestones and set goals for the year ahead. The most recent America’s Health Rankings® statistics identified key areas where there is room for collective health improvement, particularly within preventable chronic disease metrics, and we can't wait to get started.

It’s finally here: The official launch day of United Health Foundation’s 2012 America’s Health Rankings®. We at United Health Foundation look forward to this day all year long because it gives us such a valuable opportunity to start a national dialogue about the health of our communities, states and country as a whole.

According to the latest research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 25 million adults have been told by a doctor that they have adult diabetes. What’s even more concerning is how this number is poised to skyrocket. Another CDC study predicts that, based on our current trajectory, the number of Americans with adult diabetes will grow to one in three adults by 2050.

October 21-27 is Respiratory Care Week, and, in the spirit of lung health awareness, I’d like to focus on a health problem plaguing this country for far too long: smoking.

Cardiovascular disease is our nation’s leading cause of death, claiming more lives than the next three leading causes of death combined. It’s also our nation’s most prevalent illness, affecting about one of every three (33%) adults. And if current trends persist, prevalence will surpass 40% by 2030.

Remember when you were a kid headed to the doctor’s office for a yearly check-up? You wouldn’t be alone if you said you dreaded getting shots. Because August is National Immunization Awareness Month, I want to spend some time discussing why vaccinations – pesky as they may be – are so essential.

As president of United Health Foundation, I am guided by a singular passion to make a difference and to help create a brighter future for us all. The Foundation has many separate activities that support this goal, and nothing makes me happier than when our various initiatives come together to form a whole that’s more powerful than the separate parts.

When it comes to improving health, I am a firm believer that knowledge is power and that, as Maya Angelou says, when you know better, you do better. That’s why I was so excited to learn that United Health Foundation has once again been recognized with a Web Health Award for the America’s Health Rankings® website.