Northwest Health Celebrates American Heart Month with Stories from the Heart

2/14/2024

This story was originally reported by the La Porte County Herald - Dispatch

As part of American Heart Month, Northwest Health-La Porte took a moment to honor those who battle with, or are supporting those who are battling with, cardiovascular disease.

On Feb. 8, the public was invited to gather in the hospital’s lobby to hear Stories from the Heart – an event held to discuss the effects of cardiovascular disease. Those gathered learned how cardiovascular disease affects both men and women, how they can prevent illness and had an opportunity to share stories of those who have gone through it.

According to Kelly Credit, director of marketing and communications at Northwest Health, plans for Stories from the Heart began in late November 2023 as a way to celebrate American Heart Month, which was designated to take place in February.

Credit and others came together to both celebrate those working cardiac care, which she said was much needed in the community, as well as spread awareness of how cardiovascular disease can affect others.

Some of the lesser-known symptoms they wanted to educate the public about were in women, Credit said. Women can experience symptoms which might seem like nausea, heartburn or extreme fatigue.

“You usually hear about people having, like, an elephant sitting on your chest or their left arm hurting really bad,” Credit said.

“But there are so many symptoms people need to watch out for,” she said.

Simon Ratliff, interim CEO for Northwest Health, first thanked all who came to the event and for the efforts they made to keep people healthy. He then gave statistics provided by the Center for Disease Control as part of showing how cardiovascular disease connects all people.

Citing information from the CDC, Ratliff said heart disease is responsible for taking the lives of one in five people in the U.S. He added that one person dies from heart disease every 36 seconds and half of all American adults have one major risk factor for it, including a heart attack, stroke or high blood pressure.

“The threat of cardiovascular diseases touches nearly every family in our community,” he said.

“I’m on blood pressure medication myself,” Ratliff added.

Ratliff then went on to say while cardiovascular disease can be deadly, there are certain measures people can take to lower the risk of the disease. This includes avoiding smoking or vaping, having regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Northwest Health is helping out in their own way to make sure La Porte residents are aware of the risks of cardiovascular disease, Ratliff said.

One of the unique ways they’ve decided to spread awareness is an email series called “Leap into Heart Health,” where those who sign up can receive articles, tips and fun ideas to help prevent cardiovascular disease and improve heart health.

Ratliff then read a thank you letter sent to Northwest Health by a patient who suffered a cardiovascular episode last year. In the letter, the patient said they began suffering symptoms of a heart attack and was immediately transported to Northwest Health-La Porte. Once there, doctors discovered a 100 percent blockage in his heart, which they successfully removed.

The patient stated that for the three days he was there, from May 3 to 6, every single staff member made his stay comfortable.

Bringing awareness to the disease is also personal to him, Ratliff said, adding that his own father had dealt with the same issue the letter writer had. Having that happen to a member of his family made it a very personal matter for him.

Ratliff also encouraged not just citizens to look after their heart health, but staff members at the hospital as well. With having an occupation that brings many stressors, Ratliff said hospital staff are also just as vulnerable to cardiovascular disease as well.

“The stress they work under every day can lead to a higher risk of a cardiac event,” he said.

To sign up for the Leap into Heart Health email series, visit NWHealthIN.com/heart-challenge.

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