Celebrating Valentine’s Day & National Heart Month with “Heart Healthy Valentine’s” and AHN’s “Heart to Hearts” Initiative
This Valentine’s Day, The Foundry Christian Community Center is hosting a special event called “Heart Healthy Valentine’s” to honor both the holiday and National Heart Month. Marisa McCoy, ShopRite of Southington's retail dietician, will be presenting an event that focuses on healthy eating habits and desserts.[0] Cardiologist Dr. David Ancona believes that Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to promote heart health among caregivers while having some fun. State Representatives Stephanie Kifowit and Jeff Keicher have also organized a Valentine’s Day card collection at their district offices, the Taylor Family Branch YMCA, the Gail Borden, Algonquin Area and Fox River Valley public libraries, the Boys & Girls Club of Dundee Township and local schools.
In Pittsburgh, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) is repurposing the iconic candy “conversation hearts” to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease among women.[1] AHN printed customized one-liners on heart-shaped candies – messages such as “Ur Is Unique” and “Know Ur Risks” – and placed them in specially designed “Heart to Hearts”-themed stands at high-traffic OB/GYN and primary care offices throughout AHN’s footprint.[1] At the stands, a QR code is present which links patients to AHN's heart screening resources and enables them to schedule an appointment.[1]
AHN Cardiovascular Institute and AHN Women’s Institute have collaborated on the awareness initiative. Cardiovascular disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined, and yet not even half of all women in the U.S. recognize that it’s their greatest health threat.[1] The AHN Women’s Heart Center, a part of the Division of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at AHN Cardiovascular Institute, works collaboratively alongside the AHN Women’s Institute, its OB/GYN practices, and its Maternal Fetal Medicine division to promote heart-healthy lifestyles, proper diets, exercise, sleep schedules and stress management. At the start of this month, AHN declared the launch of its exclusive AHN Cardio-Obstetrics clinic to provide care to patients facing cardiovascular disease who are expecting, attempting to conceive, or who have recently given birth.[1]
0. “Senior center program aims for healthy hearts for Valentine's Day” Meriden Record-Journal, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Southington/Southington-News/Southington-Calendar-House-Senior-Center-to-host-a-Heart-Healthy-Valentines.html
1. “AHN Customizes Iconic Candy Hearts to Spread Awareness this Valentine's Day” Benzinga, 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/23/02/p30852658/ahn-customizes-iconic-candy-hearts-to-spread-awareness-this-valentines-day
