Medina Memorial Hospital highlights importance of heart health

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 15 February 2022 at 7:59 am

Photo contributed: Staff at Medina Memorial Hospital pose for a photo on Wear Red Day to celebrate Heart Month to highlight the importance of heart health and preventing heart disease.

MEDINA – Orleans Community Health and Medina Memorial Hospital are continuing to celebrate February as Heart Month, with different events throughout the month.

According to information from Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communications and Outreach, February was declared as American Heart Month by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, nine years after his own heart attack. Orleans Community is taking the opportunity this month to highlight the importance of heart health and that heart disease is largely preventable.

In addition to focusing on heart health for the entire month, the topic is being highlighted in different ways throughout February.

Feb. 4 was recognized as Wear Red Day, bringing awareness to the fact that heart disease is the number one killer of women. In addition, the week of Feb. 13 to 19 is Cardiac Rehab Week, which highlights the role rehabilitation plays in reducing further the devastating effects of heart disease.

According to the Center for Disease Control, some important statistics on heart disease are:

Heart disease is the number one killer of women, men and many ethnic groups within the United States.
One in every four deaths is due to heart disease.
Every year approximately 805,000 people have a heart attack, 200,000 of which happen to people have already had one.

On a positive note, heart disease is largely preventable by following these basic tips:

Eat foods that promote heart health.
Avoid smoking tobacco products.
Make sure to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity for five days a week.
Talk with your doctor to make sure you’re keeping track of your blood pressure and other potential warning signs.

Orleans Community Health urges everyone in the community to take heart disease seriously.

Medina Memorial Health offers several services in the Cardiac Department that can help.

Electrocardiograms, or EKG, are an innovative diagnostic tool. An EKG records the electric signal from the heart and is useful in detecting arrhythmias, heart attack and heart failure.

An Echocardiogram is a type of ultrasound that uses two-dimensional, three-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound waves to create a clear image of the heart. This image can then be used to diagnose conditions that affect the heart’s valves and chambers.

Vascular Ultrasounds use similar techniques as an echocardiogram to form images of blood vessels. At Medina Memorial Hospital, this tool is used to diagnose blood clots, blockages and other sources of congestion.

Cardiac Stress Tests are used to measure the heart’s ability to respond to stress, such as exercise or other stimulation. A stress test is an essential tool for identifying problems with blood flow, like blockages or arrhythmias aggravated by stress.

More information on these cardiac services can be found by logging on to Cardiac Services – Orleans Community Health.