Houston Healthcare hosts annual Red Luncheon

The Red Luncheon was held Tuesday to promote awareness of women’s cardiovascular health. In addition to lunch, there were presentations made to guests to educate on subjects such as heart attacks and strokes.

Stroke Program Coordinator, Christie Lawrence spoke of the statistics of the first year of the Stroke Program. Lawrence said that in its first year, there were 500 code strokes, and 300 of those had a stroke diagnosis.

“Given those statistics from the first year of the program, we have determined that our community is in desperate need of some stroke education and awareness, and that’s part of our Stroke program,” Lawrence said. She informed that the program did have educational materials and encouraged attendees to ask questions.

Lawrence also said that the use of telemedicine has been implemented in which patients can be assessed over a video link.

Cardiovascular Assistant Director Tim Putman and Community Nurse Educator Cindy Stegner also shared information with guests. Stegner said that there are myths about women’s health and cardiovascular disease is really the leading threat to women. Heart disease, Putman explained, is clogged arteries. Stegner gave the example of a clogged straw. When the straw is clogged it is hard to suck through. Stegner said it is the same as the arteries.

“If it’s caked with something and it’s narrow, it’s harder for that blood to flow,” Stegner explained. “When it’s harder for that blood to flow, it puts more pressure which increases your blood pressure and causes problems with your heart.”

Stegner also shared that there are factors that contribute to heart diseases that cannot be changed, such as gender, family history, and age. But there are factors that can be modified—like diet, weight and lifestyle, as well as to quit smoking and manage stress—that reduce the risk of issues.

Putman shared symptoms that he said guests should recognize in the event of the heart attack, which can include anxiousness, fluttering, fatigue and dizziness. Putman made the point that these are common experiences, but there will be a symptom that is unusual when having a heart attack, and that the symptom just isn’t right.

“Every single person has had one of these weird symptoms we’re talking about, but one thing in common that always happens is they say I knew it was a heart attack,” Putman noted.

Stegner stressed the importance of not waiting to seek help if a heart attack is suspected, explaining that many people do not seek medical attention right away because they are scared of a false alarm.

“We would rather have 3,000 false alarms at our ER than one person who didn’t call 911,” assured Stegner.

According to Putman, it is important to seek help for a heart attack right away because the heart only has a certain amount of time to keep pumping—there are only 90 minutes from the first symptom until your heart can experience serious damage.

Putman also said the importance of calling 911 lies in the fact that the doctors can start monitoring and preparing to help as soon as EMS does the first EKG.

Stegner explained that at the hospital, there are tests administered when a heart attack is suspected, suck as EKGs and labs. Tests can help determine cause, severity and location of the diagnosis which helps determine treatment.

Stegner spoke about the importance of taking the prescribed medications as directed when a stint is placed. He said that there might be a combination of medications and that it is important to know your medications, their purposes and to take them as directed. In addition, he spoke to the importance of refilling before the last pill.

It is never too late to start taking steps toward prevention, according to Stegner, and he stressed the importance of setting small goals for a lifestyle change. Putman added that it is also important to go for regular health screenings.

Putman and Stegner asked for guests to share the knowledge they’d gained with others.

“I know every day I meet someone who knows more than me about something,” Stegner stated. “Today, you know more about something, and it’s heart disease. So go out and tell everyone.”

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