Sentara Healthcare Takes on America's Deadliest Disease

NORFOLK, VA--(Marketwired - Feb 27, 2015) -

Overview

• Campaign focused on raising awareness of heart disease among men and women.
• Focus is on disease prevention through a heart-healthy lifestyle.
• Unique activities draw attention to the issue in a positive, uplifting way.

The Sentara Healthcare 28 Days of Heart campaign may be coming to an end, but taking care of your heart is a lifelong endeavor.

From a grocery store flash mob to a heart age profiler to educating people about innovative procedures and technologies, Sentara Healthcare devoted February to raising awareness of heart disease and heart health through its annual 28 Days of Heart campaign.

"Heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women in this country," said Deepak R. Talreja, M.D., a cardiologist at Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk, Va. "Raising awareness in this positive way will help people live more heart-healthy lifestyles."

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 600,000 deaths are related to heart disease -- that's one in four deaths in the US. The good news, however, is that there are more innovative procedures and devices available to patients and doctors than ever.

"The technology for treating heart disease has increased dramatically," Talreja said. "We have tremendous advanced diagnostic technology and there is no reason why we can't pick up heart disease before it manifests as a heart attack.

In addition to innovations offered at Sentara, Dr. Talreja encourages people to eat healthy and exercise regularly.

Turning Red for Heart Month
Did we mention that Sentara turned Sentara Heart Hospital red? Uplighting gave Sentara Heart Hospital a red glow at night with two 28 Days of Heart icons projected onto the building and an eight-foot tall electrocardiogram (EKG) readout moving across another side of the hospital. Watch the SentaraNEWS video.

Nationally Ranked Heart Program
Sentara Heart has been ranked among the nation's Top 50 Cardiology and Heart Surgery programs by U.S News & World Report for 14 consecutive years. As a comprehensive network of providers, facilities and services, Sentara Heart is on the forefront of innovations including:

• Blood Conservation - A program to capture and reuse patients' blood during open heart surgery to reduce transfusions and complications, speed recovery and improve outcomes.
• Total Artificial Heart - Sentara Heart Hospital, the only heart transplant center in eastern Virginia, uses the SynCardia® Total Artificial Heart, which prolongs the lives of patients awaiting transplants.
• NAIAC - Sentara Heart is a founding member of the National Association of Integrated Afib Centers, a select group of leading heart programs focused on improving care for Atrial Fibrillation patients.
• Minimally Invasive Valve Repair - Catheter-based program to repair heart valves.
• Hybrid Operating Rooms - Comprehensive technologies enable highly-complex procedures with multidisciplinary specialists collaborating to provide less invasive procedures and quicker recovery.

The 28 Days of Heart campaign is a light-hearted approach to a serious subject and just one aspect of a comprehensive program of heart care and heart disease prevention that illustrates the Sentara mission to Improve Health Every Day.

About Sentara Healthcare
Sentara Healthcare celebrates a 126-year history of innovation, compassion and community benefit. Based in Norfolk, VA, Sentara is a diverse not-for-profit family of 12 hospitals, the Optima Health Plan, an array of integrated services and a team 28,000 strong on a mission to improve health every day. This mandate is pursued through a disciplined strategy to achieve Top 10% performance in key measures through shared best practices, transformation of primary care through clinical integration and strategic growth that adds value to the communities we serve in Virginia and North Carolina.

To view this release in a media-rich format, go to: http://sentara.new-media-release.com/28daysofheart/