Vidant Health is spreading The Heart Truth in February with events all month long

Local activities part of nationwide effort to spread the word about women and heart disease. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) February 14, 2012 - GREENVILLE - Vidant Health will participate in National Heart Month activities during February to raise community awareness about heart health. Heart disease is the cause of one of every six deaths in the United States.

Vidant Medical Center officials are encouraging everyone to participate in National Wear Red Day on Friday, Feb. 3-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.

4th Annual Heart Expo
Vidant Health is hosting events all month long, including the 4th Annual Heart Health Expo. The East Carolina Heart Institute at Vidant Medical Center will help sponsor the free event at the Greenville Convention Center from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on Feb. 11.

Men, women and children are encouraged to attend this free event. Guests can learn their heart risk profile by registering for free screenings, including blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and blood sugar. To register for a free screening, call 1-866-705-3244 or visit www.HeartInstitute.com/heartexpo. Appointments are required.

Several local doctors will present heart health seminars that focus on a variety of topics from childhood obesity to heart health implications for men. Guests can also learn how to "Cook with Heart" during a healthy cooking demonstration.

"We hope all of these events are the beginning of many more to help educate people about taking charge of their health," said Van Smith, senior vice president of cardiovascular services and executive director of the East Carolina Heart Institute at Vidant Medical Center. "Women especially face very serious heart risks; it is important for us, as a health care partner, to provide education and preventive measures."

The Heart Truth Women's Social
On Feb. 22, The East Carolina Heart Institute at Vidant Medical Center is partnering with Vidant Edgecombe Hospital to host The Heart Truth Women's Social at Rock Springs Center in Greenville. The event will feature a "red" activity-wear fashion show, emceed by WNCT's Amanda Goodman. Women can also listen to national nutrition guest speaker Zonya Foco. Foco is a master of inspiration, motivation and visual humor, providing hard-facts information and simple solutions that help everyday people improve health, create balance and maximize energy. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required. Space is limited; register by calling 1-800-472-8500.

Here are some facts according to The Heart Truth:
• One in four women dies of heart disease in the United States each year, while one in 30 women dies of breast cancer.
• 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.

The Heart Institute's activities are in partnership with The Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign warning women about their risk of heart disease. The campaign is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in partnership with: The American Heart Association; Office on Women's Health, DHHS; WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease; and other groups committed to the health and well-being of women.

About The Heart Truth
In 2012, The Heart Truth marks a decade of commitment to women's heart health. During February's American Heart Month, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) reaffirms its commitment to increasing awareness about heart disease among women and helping women take steps to reduce their own personal risk of developing heart disease.

This national campaign is building awareness of women's heart disease and empowering women to reduce and prevent their risk. It is reaching women with important heart health messages in community settings through a diverse network of national and grassroots partner organizations.

For more information about women and heart disease, including materials such as The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women and fact sheets about women and heart disease, please visit http://www.hearttruth.gov or call the NHLBI Health Information Center at 301-592-8573.

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 and physician practices, and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com.

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