Lawrence Memorial Hospital is a major sponsor of WellCommons.

Heart disease is the nation’s number one killer. Living a heart healthy lifestyle is imperative. Ways to put this into practice include being physically active, controlling cholesterol, eating better, managing blood pressure, losing weight, reducing blood sugar and quitting smoking.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital offers programs and services to assist you in living a heart healthy lifestyle and to help prevent you from becoming a statistic.

Free and low-cost classes and screenings

High blood pressure, high LDL (bad) cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of Americans have at least one of these three risk factors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a not-for-profit hospital, LMH is dedicated to caring for the community. LMH offers a variety of free and low-cost classes and screenings. There are offerings for parents, parents-to-be, safety classes, events for seniors and much more. Some of the heart-related options include:

• A free one-mile walk test and presentation called “Walking for Health.”
• Fitness classes for young athletes, pregnant moms, adults and seniors. Prices vary.
• Cholesterol (total only) screenings for $8.
• Free diabetes education group and free pre-diabetes classes.
• Free Steps to Successfully Quitting Smoking class.
• Annual Healthy Hearts Fair, scheduled for Feb. 21.

For more information, call 749-5800 or visit Classes and Events under the Wellness Resources tab at lmh.org.

Heart risk assessments for women

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in America, claiming the lives of one in four women every year, notes the National Institutes of Health.

In addition to providing outstanding heart care, the LMH-affiliated practice Cardiovascular Specialists of Lawrence offers heart risk assessments especially tailored for women. Take Heart: Women’s Cardiac Care heart risk assessment includes:

• Blood pressure
• Waist circumference
• Body mass index (BMI)
• Fasting lipid profile
• Fasting blood glucose
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone
• Hemoglobin A1c
• Nutrition/exercise recommendations
• Education materials
• Private consultation with a cardiologist or APRN

The cost for this self-referral test is $40-$75. For more information about this assessment or Cardiovascular Specialists, call 505-3636.

Top-quality Heart Center

An estimated 80 million Americans have one or more types of heart disease, according to the Heart Foundation.

If you are in need of cardiac care, the LMH Heart Center provides everything from routine visits to caring for cardiac emergencies and performing life-saving procedures. LMH Heart Center has been recognized nationally for heart attack care, is an accredited Chest Pain Center and is nationally certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. A team approach combines research, education and clinical expertise to provide advanced treatment. The center includes:

• Anticoagulation Clinic
• Cardiac Catheterization Lab
• Cardiac Evaluation Center
• Cardiac Imaging and Testing
• Cardiac Intensive Care
• Cardiac Rehabilitation
• Chest Pain Center
• Congestive Heart Failure Program
• Clinical Cardiology
• Heart Risk Assessments
• Interventional Cardiology
• Pacemaker Follow-up and Programming
• Prevention and Wellness
• Vascular Services
• Lawrence Vein Center

To learn more information about these services and heart care at LMH, visit the Cardiology tab at lmh.org.

Aynsley Anderson, MA, RN, is Community Education Coordinator at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, which is a major sponsor of WellCommons. She can be reached at aynsley.anderson@lmh.org.