Attanasio Named ChairmanOf AHA Board

WALLINGFORD — Tracy Brazelton, regional vice president of the American Heart Association in Southern Connecticut, announced that Bob Attanasio of Newtown has been named the new chairman of the Heart Association’s Southern Connecticut Board of Directors.

The Southern Connecticut region of the American Heart Association encompasses Fairfield and New Haven Counties. Mr Attanasio, senior vice president at Dictaphone Corporation in Stratford, was nominated for the position and elected during a vote by his fellow board members.

Mr Attanasio has been dedicated to the mission of the American Heart Association over the past few years. In 2002 and 2004, he served as chairman of the Fairfield County Heart Walk. Under his leadership, the Heart Walk has grown from a $46,000 event to a $350,000 event with a projected growth in the near future to $1 million. In addition to his role as Heart Walk chairman, Mr Attanasio also served a term on the Southern Connecticut Regional Board of Directors.

His connection to the American Heart Association is very personal. In 2000, just three days after his 40th birthday, Mr Attanasio had a heart attack. His health scare made him fully realize the importance of balancing family, work, exercise, and nutrition for a healthier lifestyle. “The importance of the American Heart Association’s lifesaving efforts to educate the public can’t be stressed enough,” he said. “Regardless of your age, embracing a healthier lifestyle should be a top priority.”

The Southern Connecticut Board of Directors is responsible for furthering the mission of the American Heart Association — to reduce disability from cardiovascular disease and stroke — in Fairfield and New Haven Counties. As chairman of the board, Mr Attanasio is leading board initiatives to reduce cultural health care disparities by improving access to health care among all races and ethnicities, to increase women’s personal awareness that cardiovascular disease is their top health threat, to increase the number of health care providers using American Heart Association and American Stroke Association guidelines for cardiovascular disease patient care and to reduce childhood obesity by promoting the importance of increased physical activity and healthy nutrition.

Mr Attanasio assumed his new duties as chairman in July of 2005. A native of Stamford, he lives with his wife Lea and their three children in Newtown.