Shelby City Health Department educates residents for American Heart Month
Jeanne Coovert, Shelby City Health Department’s Director of Nursing held another “Snack & Chat” at Marvin Memorial Library. This month, her goal was to educate Shelby residents on heart health. February is American Heart Month and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the No. 1 killer of Americans, according to Richland Public Health. Coovert shared statistics of her own saying that according to the American Heart Association, more than 2,150 Americans die from cardiovascular diseases each day, one every 40 seconds.
She also mentioned that about 697,000 people in the United States died from heart disease in 2020- that’s one in every five deaths. “Cardiovascular diseases claim more lives each year than cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases combined,” she said. Coovert shared other statistics from the American Heart Association that affect heart health including that 23 million adults have type 2 diabetes, 15% of adults smoked in 2015, and 103 million adults had high blood pressure.
Coovert went on to show several charts in which heart disease was the leading cause of death in the U.S., and how the disease relates to race, sex, and location. She said that most heart attacks happen around the holidays: December 25 to January 1 and the second most prevalent time of year is during football season. She then went into a description of what happens in the heart when it becomes unhealthy. “As plaque builds up in the arteries of a person with heart disease, the inside of the arteries begins to narrow, which lessens or blocks the flow of blood. Plaque can also rupture (break open). When it does, a blood clot can form on the plaque, blocking the flow of blood,” said Coovert.
Possibly most importantly, Coovert covered common heart attack warning signs: pain or discomfort in chest, lightheadedness, nausea, or vomiting, jaw, neck, or back pain, discomfort or pain in arm or shoulder, and shortness of breath. If you or someone you know has any of these symptoms, even if they go away, call 911 and get to a hospital right away.
It is also important to note that heart attacks affect men and women differently. Coovert went over the differences between men and women experiencing heart attacks. With men, it is relatively straightforward with the symptoms listed above. Women, however, can also experience symptoms such as fainting, indigestion, and extreme fatigue that might not be attributed to a heart attack right away.
Richland Public Health provided three “need to know” facts about women and cardiovascular disease. They say that cardiovascular disease kills more women than all cancers combined. It is the number one killer of new moms and kills 50,000 African American women annually. However, only 44% of women recognize it as their greatest health threat. RPH also says that 10% to 20% of women have health issues like high blood pressure, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes during pregnancy which greatly increases a woman’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease later in life. The last fact they shared was that 51.9% of high blood pressure deaths, otherwise known as hypertension or the “silent killer,” occur in women, and out of all women, 57.6% of Black females have hypertension, more than any other race or ethnicity.
Richland Public Health has made Electronic Blood Pressure Monitoring Kits available at all locations of the Mansfield Richland County Public Library and Marvin Memorial Library. You can regularly check your blood pressure by borrowing a kit with a valid library card.
Coovert continued her presentation by explaining to attendees what to do for treatment at home when someone is having a heart attack. She said to remain calm, call 911 (do not drive yourself to the hospital) and take aspirin. If you think someone might be having a heart attack, do the above steps and start CPR if needed until EMS takes over. She also describes what happens when you are taken to the hospital following a cardiac event. In the ER, treatment will include an EKG, oxygen, an IV, cardiac monitor, blood oxygen monitor, blood pressure cuff, lab work, and a chest x-ray.
She then showed attendees what a normal versus abnormal EKG looks like. She then went into more detail about what continued treatment looks like. Taking care after a heart attack is so important. Coovert said to “take care of yourself, eat healthy, exercise, take your medication as prescribed, do cardiac rehab, decrease stress, and stop smoking.” Coover also recommended attending a class on learning CPR because it could save the life of someone you love.
Call the Shelby City Health Department at 419-342-5226 or the Richland County Health Department at 701-642-7735 to inquire about upcoming CPR classes. Be sure not to miss the next Snack & Chat at Marvin Memorial Library. They are on the first Thursday of each month at 1:00PM. Next month’s presentation is on March 2 and will be about tobacco cessation.