Heart Valve Voice Canada and Shoppers Drug Mart Join Forces to Raise Awareness of Heart Valve Disease
A simple stethoscope check is the first step to detection
TORONTO, ON [September 12, 2025] - Heart Valve Voice Canada, the country’s leading patient advocacy organization for heart valve disease (HVD), today announced a national partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart to improve the early detection and management of HVD across Canada. The collaboration will launch during Global Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week, taking place from September 15-21, 2025.
Heart valve disease is a common, serious, but treatable condition that occurs when one or more of the heart’s four valves do not function properly. With Canada’s aging population, its prevalence is rising rapidly, leading some experts to call it ‘the next cardiac epidemic.’ Up to one in eight people over the age of 75 are living with HVD, yet public awareness remains critically low. Symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, or dizziness are often dismissed as a normal part of aging, causing dangerous delays in diagnosis and treatment. If left untreated, severe aortic stenosis, the most common form of HVD, has a 50% mortality rate within two years.
The new partnership will leverage Shoppers Drug Mart's extensive network of community pharmacies to educate Canadians about the risks and symptoms of HVD and emphasize the importance of early detection through a simple stethoscope check.
“This partnership is a monumental step forward in our mission to improve the lives of Canadians affected by heart valve disease,” said Ellen Ross, Managing Director of Heart Valve Voice Canada. “Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies are trusted health destinations in nearly every community. This collaboration will encourage more people to access and learn about the life-saving importance of a simple stethoscope check.”
Throughout Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week, educational materials will be available at participating Shoppers Drug Mart locations. The campaign will encourage Canadians, especially those over the age of 60, to ask their primary care provider to listen to their heart at their next check-up. This campaign is also supported by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
“For more than 50 years, Shoppers Drug Mart has been a destination for all things health and wellness, and this partnership with Heart Valve Voice Canada is a perfect extension of that commitment,” said David Markwell, President of Shoppers Drug Mart. “Our pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare professionals in the country, and they play a vital role in patient education and proactive health management. We are proud to support this critical initiative to put heart valve disease on the public radar and ensure more Canadians get the early detection, timely diagnosis and care they need to live longer, healthier lives.”
For times and participating locations, please visit: www.heartvalvevoice.ca/hvdaw-events-page
Media Contact:
Holly Roy, Pumpkin PR
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hollyr@pumpkinpr.com