SALISBURY — February is heart month, and Rowan Regional Medical Center is celebrating with several programs and special events.
Heart and vascular disease is a leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States, and the battle against this trend starts with prevention. Close to home, 1,600 people in Rowan County died from heart disease in the years 2004 through 2009, according to the Community Health Assessment conducted by the Healthy Rowan Task Force.
People can reduce their risk of heart and vascular disease by knowing the risk factors, living a healthy lifestyle and taking advantage of diagnostic tests to help stop the disease in its tracks.
To raise awareness of the risk factors about heart and vascular disease, Rowan Regional will host activities all month, including:
• Michelle Musselwhite, registered dietitian, will teach free heart-health cooking classes. Musselwhite will teach participants ways to cook heart healthy in the kitchen without sacrificing taste.
The cooking classes will be held from 2–3 p.m. and 6–7 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Sophia Clay Kitchen at RRMC. To register for the cooking classes, please call 1-800-335-4921.
• An important first step in preventing heart and vascular disease and stroke is determining the level of risk. Beginning in February, Rowan Regional will offer free one-on-one heart risk assessments, which include cholesterol level and blood pressure checks, as well as personal consultations on how to reduce your risk and advanced diagnostic tools.
To schedule a risk assessment, call 1-800-335-4921.
• All month, hospital employees are encouraged to wear red to work to show support in heart disease awareness.
Clinical employees have the opportunity to purchase red scrub tops in the hospital gift shop and non-clinical employees are planning to wear red shirts, dresses, ties, scarves and more. In addition, the gift shop will roll out red merchandise available for purchase.
• To show the community the hospital’s support of heart month, several prominent outdoor lights on hospital buildings will shine red all month long. Light pole banners touting the hospital’s heart attack care will surround the perimeter of the hospital.
• Each Friday during lunch, leaders including President Dari Caldwell, Chief Operating Officer Sean Sanz, Chief Nursing Officer Katrina King and Vice President Dr. Tom Trahey will encourage employees to “Walk with Leaders” around the indoor track at the RRMC Cardiac Rehabilitation & Wellness Center.
• Café Rowan, the cafeteria at Rowan Regional, will serve heart healthy food options all month for guests and visitors. In addition, dietitians from Café Rowan & Morrison’s Healthcare Food Service will offer heart healthy recipes and facts to patrons of Café Rowan.
• Any guest, visitor, employee or community members who takes an active step towards heart health by participating in a community or employee event will win a “Red Dress” pin from the American Heart Association.
• Several of Rowan Regional’s cardiologists including Dr. Telly Meadows, Dr. Apur Kamdar and Dr. Dennis Wilson will speak to community groups at local venues such as the YMCA to support heart healthy living. In addition, Meadows will lead a continuing medical education talk for local physicians and clinicians to increase awareness.
• Every Wednesday in February and all year, the Rowan Regional Medical Auxiliary will offer free blood pressure checks in the lobby.
Rowan Regional was nationally recognized as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures, including heart attack and heart failure care, by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in America.
The hospital’s interventional cardiologists are trained by the Cleveland Clinic, the nation’s number one heart care program. Meadows and Kamdar offer around-the-clock heart attack care, including minimally-invasive procedures such as coronary balloon angioplasty and stent placement.
In addition, Dr. Paul Capito, interventional radiologist, offers treatment for peripheral artery disease, a vascular disease that affects nearly 12 million Americans.