ROCK THE BLOG -- Seeing Red?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :
Thursday, Feb 06, 2014

Media Release

City of Little Rock Public Relations (501) 371-6801

LR Human Resources

Seeing red? Well you might be tomorrow... City of Little Rock employees will be wearing red on Friday, February 7th, to participate in the 10th annual “National Wear Red Day,” to help raise awareness for heart disease prevention for women.

February is designated as American Heart Month to help raise awareness in the fight against heart disease. Heart disease is currently the leading cause of death among women over the age of 20 in America. Heart disease is actually more deadly than all forms of cancer combined, killing nearly 300,000 women in the United States every year. According to the American Heart Association, almost 80 percent of heart-related illnesses could be prevented if people made the right choices regarding their health and become educated on the avoidable dangers that put their heart health at risk.

If you think that you or someone you know is having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Listed below are the symptoms that everyone should learn to recognize to help get heart disease treated immediately:

The Five Major Heart Attack Symptoms:

1) Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back

2) Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint

3) Chest pain or discomfort

4) Pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulder

5) Shortness of breath

Free QualChoice Healthy Heart Program for Hypertension

There are currently more than 50 million Americans (approximately one in three adults) living with hypertension (high blood pressure). Our City provided QualChoice medical insurance offers a free program for high blood pressure management, the Healthy Heart Program. This program is available for any QualChoice member over the age of 18. All program participants will receive periodic calls from a registered nurse to provide the support needed to achieve a healthy lifestyle with hypertension. To enroll in the free Healthy Heart Program, members can call a QCare health coach at (501) 228-7111 or 1(800) 235-7111.

Check out these resources for free tips on how to have a healthier heart:

American Heart Association - http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth