Three Coachella Valley/Morongo Basin Hospitals Join The American Heart Association In Campaign Against Cardiovascular Disease

Joshua Tree, CA– During American Heart Month in February, Desert Regional Medical Center, JFK Memorial Hospital and Hi-Desert Medical Center will join with the American Heart Association in a comprehensive month-long campaign designed to educate the community about cardiovascular disease, including a free online risk assessment.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States, resulting in nearly 801,000 deaths in 2013. More than one in three American adults has some form of cardiovascular disease.  The three hospitals offer a comprehensive network of potentially life-saving cardiac and stroke services at convenient, easily accessible locations in their communities. 

“The staff and physicians at our three hospitals are on the front lines, providing life-saving treatment for heart attack and stroke right here in our communities,” said Carolyn Caldwell, CEO of Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. “We see the toll that heart disease takes on families and loved ones of those we treat. This is why our hospitals have increased our sponsorship of the American Heart Association and its efforts to provide greater support, patient education and community outreach regarding cardiovascular disease.”

“Raising public awareness of the risks associated with cardiovascular disease is critical,” said Gary Honts, CEO of JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio. “People often aren’t aware that they are at risk. That’s why tools like our risk assessment calculator are so important. Our three hospitals, working collaboratively with the AHA, are dedicated to reducing the toll from heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases by 20 percent by the year 2020.” 

As part of the campaign, the three hospitals will offer a variety of activities and resources to increase community and patient awareness of heart disease. These include:

• Online Risk Assessment Test – Residents can assess their risk for heart disease by filling out a brief online questionnaire. Those whose risk for cardiovascular disease is found to be high will receive a referral to a local specialist. People considered at medium or low risk will receive follow-up emails with detailed information about cardiovascular disease and healthy eating. The link is www.deserthealthcheck.com/heartcare.
• Public Service Announcement – A 30-second public service announcement sponsored by the three hospitals will encourage walking for heart health and will be shown on local TV stations throughout Heart Month.

• Free Informational Flyers – Flyers with educational information and tips about how to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease will be made available to visitors to the three hospitals throughout February.
• National Wear Red Day – Events will be held at the hospitals in recognition of National Wear Red Day on Feb. 5, which is designed to raise awareness of the fact that heart disease and stroke kill one in three women, more than all cancers combined, yet they are 80 percent preventable. 

“We are proud to join with the American Heart Association to get the message out about the importance of heart health and to support the important work our hospitals are doing to fight cardiovascular disease and stroke,” said Randy Kelley, interim CEO of Hi-Desert Medical Center.