Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It is also the most treatable. To prevent heart disease and increase awareness of its effects, Carroll County Memorial Hospital proudly participates in American Heart Month.
CCMH kicks the month off by decking the hospital out in RED inside the building and on their digital platforms.
CCMH employees have the opportunity to wear RED in support of National Go Red for Women Day Friday, Feb.4. Donations collected will be donated to the CCMH Foundation, directed towards the needs of CCMH Cardiac Rehabilitation.
“One in three women die from cardiovascular disease,” said Melissa Cochran, CCMH Director of Cardiopulmonary and Rehab Services. “According to the American Heart Association’s released 2021 statistics, this makes it the leading killer of women in the United States. Heart disease kills one woman approximately every 80 seconds, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined, and cardiac events are on the rise in young women in their 20s.”
Employees will continue to have opportunities to wear red and support Cardiac Rehabilitation at CCMH every Friday in February.
President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first American Heart Month proclamation in 1964 and since then, U.S. presidents have annually declared February American Heart Month. In its 57th year of recognition, the importance of heart disease awareness and the fact that, in most cases, it is preventable and still very prominent to this day.
“Heart disease is preventable when people adopt a healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, treating high blood pressure, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week and getting regular checkups,” Cochran said.
Eating right and reducing stress are other important ways to keep your heart healthy. CCMH is addressing this by offering a heart-healthy lunch dining option for staff Monday, February 14, at CCMH 4 Corners Café, and a heart-healthy breakfast on Friday, February 11. Employees will also receive heart-healthy snacks such as dark chocolate trail mix and fruit smoothies throughout the month.
CCMH offers a 36-session, 3-month Cardiac Rehabilitation program – a supervised exercise program to help people recover from heart attacks, heart surgery, and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) stenting and angioplasty.
“Roughly, each year 935,000 Americans will have some type of a coronary event,” Cochran said. “Thirty percent will have a second and potentially fatal one. There is hope. Cardiac Rehab decreases the risk of a future cardiac event.”
Some health benefits of Cardiac Rehab are:
- Reduction of all-cause mortality of 15 percent at 1-year follow-up, and of 45 percent at a 15-year follow-up.
- Roughly 30 percent lower CVD mortality.
- Improved adherence with preventive medication.
- Increased exercise performance.
- Improved health factors, such as lipids and blood pressure.
- Enhanced ability to perform daily activities.
- Improved psychosocial symptoms and health-related quality of life.
“I feel like Cardiac Rehab helped save my life,” said Marty Rucker. “From start to finish, I was amazed at the progress I made. I really miss going to Cardiac Rehab and the staff pushing me to exceed my goals.
“The staff at CCMH are very nice, helpful, and stern when necessary, which I needed,” Rucker said. “I cannot thank them enough for the encouragement when I didn’t feel like I could keep going. They were always there to help guide me through it and at times, it was not easy. Now I feel like I have a special bond with each and every one of them. Nicest ladies in the world.”
As CCMH’s Mission states, “CCMH is dedicated to the health and well-being of all we serve.”
“You can make healthy changes to lower your risk of developing heart disease,” Cochran said. “Controlling and preventing risk factors is also important for people who already have heart disease. To lower your risk watch your weight; quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke; Control your cholesterol and blood pressure; If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation; and get active and eat healthily.”
For more information about the services at Carroll County Memorial Hospital, visit The Carroll County Memorial Hospital website or call 660-542-1695.
