Carroll Precht takes blood pressure readings during the February 23 ‘Love Your Heart’ event at the Parsons Senior Center. The program was sponsored by the Tucker County Health Department, Davis Medical Center and the Tucker County West Virginia University Extension Service and helped participants learn about health snacks and taking care of their heart. Sylvia Rosenau was one of many attending the presentation.
PARSONS – Local residents gathered the end of February to learn more about taking care of their health during the ‘Love Your Heart’ program, sponsored by the Tucker County Health Department, Davis Medical Center and the Tucker County WVU Extension Service. Those in attendance had the opportunity to have a blood glucose test, a blood pressure reading and weight check before sharing healthy snacks, yoga and door prizes. Mindy Parsons, Clinical Charge Nurse at the Cardiac Rehab Center in Davis Medical Center spoke with attendees about the risk factors for heart disease and the ways to prevent them.
“I am a native of Tucker County and I am excited to be making the presentation in Parsons around the people she grew up with,” Parsons said. “We just actually expanded our facility and relocated to it in the hospital. We will be adding pulmonary rehabilitation in March. It will be called the Davis Wellness Institute.”
Tucker County WVU Extension agent Jesica Streets said the program was aimed at helping people be aware of what they know about heart disease, personal behaviors that increase the risk of heart disease, five ways to reduce the risk of heart disease, questions to ask your physician and resources available for heart disease or heart issues.
“The Tucker County WVU Extension Service is striving to increase health in the community and sponsoring programs like this help,” Streets said. “These programs help raise awareness – let people who are at risk know they are at risk for heart disease. There are several different factors that people may not know put them at risk for heart disease.”
Some of the heart-healthy snacks included a chicken salad served on lettuce instead of bread, tuna salad with salsa instead of mayonnaise, veggie chips, veggie trays and fruit-infused water. Davis Medical Center brought dark chocolate biscotti.
Kim Ledden, Tucker County Health Department Nurse, said the program is aimed at helping people have healthy lifestyles.
“We have been talking with the Extension Service and they suggested a ‘Love Your Heart’ program,” Ledden said. “We decided to try and promote our friends in Tucker County to have a healthier lifestyle. We did some surveys and folks said they wanted programs on heart health and diabetes.”
“We have been talking with the Extension Service and they suggested a ‘Love Your Heart’ program,” Ledden said. “We decided to try and promote our friends in Tucker County to have a healthier lifestyle. We did some surveys and folks said they wanted programs on heart health and diabetes.”
Ledden said prevention is the key.
“We are trying to offer some prevention plans because we don’t want to wait until they have the disease,” Ledden said. “We are trying to attract a younger audience and families. We hope to try to prevent some childhood obesity and hope to prevent type II diabetes.”
Ledden said the programs showcase what health departments are about – prevent, protect and promote.
Diana Patella, Director of Population Health, said Davis Medical Center helped host the ‘Love Your Heart’ program as a follow up to the ‘Maintain Don’t Gain’ program over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
“We are interested in helping people with nutrition and health,” Patella said. “There is a lot of interest in health and the heart, and with February being healthy heart month, it’s always good to remind people to take care of themselves and take care of their heart. We are trying to partner with the Tucker County Health Department and Tucker County WVU Extension Service to keep the word going and not let people forget.”
Patella said heart disease is prevalent in Tucker County and said it is important for people to learn to make improvements as well as seek medical treatment when they need to.
Ledden said the event hopefully spreads the word about being heart healthy.
“We want to make a healthier Tucker County,” Ledden said.
