It's no secret that people living in rural communities across the United States — 20 percent of the country's population — face healthcare challenges that contribute to heart disease. 

A class-action lawsuit was filed against a Scranton, Pa.-based cardiology group that took two months to reveal a data breach that affected more than 181,000 patients, The Times-Tribune reported June 26.

Here are five health systems that recently earned grants for heart research:

Milwaukee, Wisc.-based Aurora Sinai/Aurora St. Luke's Medical Centers and Morgantown-based West Virginia University School of Medicine researchers have discovered in-hospital cardiac arrests peak in winter.

Cincinnati-based Christ Hospital Health Network and Dayton, Ohio-based Premier Health are partnering to provide more access to specialized cardiovascular care.

Naples, Fla.-based NCH Healthcare System has raised $154 million toward its $200 million heart and stroke center, Naples News reported June 22.

U.S. News & World Report named its top children's hospitals for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery.

The FDA approved the first anti-inflammatory atheroprotective cardiovascular treatment to reduce risk of cardiovascular events.

People in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts and have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease compared with their counterparts in small metropolitan and urban areas, a gap that has grown over the past decade.[1] Data also indicates that rural residents are at 30% higher risk of stroke.[2] Compounding these dynamics, rural communities face a critical shortage of health care professionals, including public health workers, which can impact care. These rural residents are vulnerable to increased morbidity and mortality that could be prevented with risk factor modification, and timely acute cardiac and stroke event identification, triage and treatment.

A new survey of interventional cardiologists found 78 percent feel they work too hard, 64 percent are emotionally exhausted and 41 percent have considered quitting in the past year.

Riaz Haider, MD, a renowned cardiologist known for his research in diagnostic cardiac ultrasound, pacemakers and heart catheterization, died June 8 at 89.

Cooper University Health Care in Camden, N.J., is the first hospital system in the country to use Viz Aortic, an artificial intelligence software that can diagnose abdominal aortic aneurysms "in real time," according to a June 12 hospital news release. 

Jonathan Weinsaft, MD, has been appointed chief of the Greenberg Division of Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, both based in New York City, effective July 1.

The American College of Surgeons and the Society for Vascular Surgery verified the first four hospitals with its newly launched Vascular Verification Program.

A recent study found that light drinking can do good for the heart because of its quieting effect on the amygdala.

A Scranton, Pa.-based cardiology group's computer network was invaded by hackers, who potentially obtained private data of 181,764 patients, The Times-Tribune reported June 12.

Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University and Medicine renamed its outpatient center after cardiac surgeon Levi Watkins, MD.

Madison, Wis.-based American Family Children's Hospital launched a pediatric heart transplant program, according to a news release.

Cardiologists said having so many rules and regulations and working long hours were two of the hardest parts of the job, according to a Medscape survey published May 24.

A recent study found that hearts donated after circulatory death were just as effective for transplantation as hearts donated after brain death.