Vidant Health raises awareness and provides education about the importance of heart health | Eastern North Carolina Now

For Immediate Release:

    GREENVILLE     Heart disease is the cause in one of every six deaths in the United States, and Vidant Health is raising community awareness about heart health through sponsored events in February.

    Vidant Medical Center officials encourage everyone to participate in National Wear Red Day on Friday, Feb. 1, a day when Americans nationwide will take women's health to heart by wearing red to show their support for awareness of women's heart disease.

    Fifth Annual Heart Expo

    The East Carolina Heart Institute at Vidant Medical Center is sponsoring the Fifth Annual Heart Health Expo at the Greenville Convention Center from 9 a.m.-noon. on Feb. 16. Men, women and children are encouraged to attend the free event. Guests can learn their heart risk profiles by registering for free screenings, including blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and blood sugar. To register for a free screening, call (866) 705-3244 or visit https://www.eastcarolinaheartinstitute.com/. Registration is required for screenings.

    Several local doctors will present heart health seminars that focus on a variety of topics from childhood obesity to the impact of sleep disorders on your heart. Guests can also learn how to "Cook with Heart" during a healthy cooking demonstration. New this year, "A Child at Heart", is a special kids area featuring fun, heart-healthy activities.

    "Our goal is to improve the cardiovascular health for all people in eastern North Carolina," said Van Smith, senior vice president at Vidant Medical Center. "That's why Vidant Health, the East Carolina Heart Institute, and our physician partners work together to offer risk assessments, screenings, and advanced treatment options designed to improve the heart health of women, men and children in eastern North Carolina every day."

    The Heart Truth Speaking Tour featuring national speaker Eliz Greene

    Eliz Greene shares strategies for healthier lives and provides the motivation to adopt at least one. Guests will laugh, dance, and learn along with Greene as she shares personal stories and real world strategies to live longer, feel better, and stress less. The women's speaking tour has stops all across eastern North Carolina.

    Feb. 25 - Ahoskie
    Feb. 26 - Greenville
    Feb. 27 - Belhaven and Edenton
    Feb. 28 - Nags Head and Windsor
    March 1 - Wallace

    For full details call (800) 472-8500 go online to www.VidantHealth.com/womensheart

    Here are some facts according to The Heart Truth:

    · One in four women dies of heart disease in the United States each year.
    · 23 percent of women will die one year after having a heart attack.
    · Within six years of having a heart attack, 46 percent of women become disabled with heart failure. About two-thirds of women who have a heart attack fail to make a full recovery.

    About The Heart Truth

    The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease and is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Through the campaign, the NHLBI leads the nation in a landmark heart health awareness movement that is being embraced by millions who share the common goal of better heart health for all women.

    The centerpiece of The Heart Truth is the Red Dress, which was introduced as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 by the NHLBI. The Red Dress reminds women of the need to protect their heart health, and inspires them to take action.

    To learn more, visit www.hearttruth.gov.


   Contact: Carissa Etters, Strategic Development, (252) 847-0413 or Carissa.Etters@VidantHealth.com or Doug Boyd, East Carolina University News Services, (252) 744-2482 or boydd@ecu.edu

    Vidant Health, a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in nine eastern North Carolina hospitals and has a management agreement with one other. The health system includes Albemarle Health, Vidant Beaufort Hospital, Vidant Bertie Hospital, Vidant Chowan Hospital, Vidant Duplin Hospital, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Vidant Medical Center, Vidant Pungo Hospital, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Vidant Home Health and Hospice, Vidant Wellness Centers, Vidant Medical Group and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com.