Three Central Valley Hospitals to Join the American Heart Association in Campaign against U.S.’s No. 1 Killer – Cardiovascular Disease – during Heart Month

Turlock, CA —During American Heart Month in February, Emanuel Medical Center, Doctors Medical Center of Modesto and Doctors Hospital of Manteca will join with the American Heart Association in a comprehensive month-long campaign designed to educate the community about cardiovascular disease, including a free online risk assessment.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States, resulting in nearly 801,000 deaths in 2013. More than one in three American adults has some form of cardiovascular disease.  The three hospitals offer a comprehensive network of potentially life-saving cardiac and stroke services at convenient, easily accessible locations in their communities. They have also increased their sponsorship with the AHA to provide greater support, patient education and community outreach regarding cardiovascular and heart disease.

“Raising public awareness of the risks associated with cardiovascular disease is critical,” said Sue Micheletti, CEO of Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock. EMC is the only designated heart attack receiving center between Modesto and Fresno. “People often aren’t aware that they are at risk. That’s why tools like our risk assessment calculator are so important. Our three hospitals, working collaboratively with the AHA, are dedicated to reducing the toll from heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases by 20 percent by the year 2020.”

As part of the campaign, the three hospitals will offer a variety of activities and resources to increase community and patient awareness of heart disease. These include:

• Public Service Announcement – A 30-second public service announcement sponsored by the three hospitals will encourage walking for heart health and will be shown on local TV stations throughout Heart Month.
• Free Informational Flyers – Flyers with educational information and tips about how to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease will be made available to visitors to the three hospitals throughout February.
• National Wear Red Day – Events will be held at the hospitals in recognition of National Wear Red Day on Feb. 5, which is designed to raise awareness of the fact that heart disease and stroke kill one in three women, more than all cancers combined, yet they are 80 percent preventable.