If you knew you were going to have a heart attack tomorrow, what would you change today?
This heart month, Kaweah Delta Health Care District will help Tulare County residents understand what changes they can make today to help prevent a cardiac episode in the future during its Be Heart Smart event on Wednesday, February 26. The event will take place from 4-7pm at The Lamp Liter Inn, 3300 W. Mineral King Ave. in Visalia.
“Nobody ever thinks they are going to have a heart attack. This is an event where we’ll help people understand what to do daily to keep their hearts healthy,” said Robbie Geide, director of Kaweah Delta’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab.
Beginning at 4pm, attendees will be offered the following free screenings (if they’ve fasted for four hours prior to the event): cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and diabetic foot screenings. Reservations are not required.
Throughout the event, people can also visit informational booths. At 5:30pm, attendees will hear from a line-up of speakers including local physicians on how to stay heart healthy.
Before the event, people can find out if they are at risk for heart disease by taking a free health risk assessment at KaweahDelta.org and clicking on “Health Risk Assessments.” Those deemed at highest-risk for heart disease will be offered a free one-on-one consultation with a Kaweah Delta staff member. Everyone who completes a health risk assessment by Friday, April 4, will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a Kindle Fire.
Heart disease includes conditions that affect the heart, such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure and congenital heart disease. It’s the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S. Each year about 785,000 Americans have their first heart attack, while another 470,000 people who have already had one or more have another.
For more information, visit www.kaweahdelta.org or follow Kaweah Delta on Twitter and Facebook.