Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 1, 2015

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make the right choices to improve
their health and reduce their
chances of a cardiovascular event.”
The screening involves a short
lifestyle questionnaire and a finger
stick to draw a small amount of
blood for testing. In just 15 min-
utes, screening participants get a
full lipid profile, including mea-
surements of total cholesterol,
HDL (good) cholesterol and LDL
(bad) cholesterol, and triglyceride
and glucose levels. The test also in-
cludes evaluation of blood pressure
and body mass index (BMI).
Kootenai dietitians and regis-
tered nurses are on hand during
the screenings to review results
with participants, evaluate risk
factors and recommend next steps,
which could range from better
nutrition to a follow-up visit with a
physician. In extreme cases, Joyce
recalls, participants whose screen-
ings revealed dangerously high
KOOTENAI
HEALTH
HEART
SERVICES
C O M M U N I T Y
P R O G R A M S
Heart to Heart™
Risk Screenings
Tuesdays and Fridays (February)
Registration required.
Learn how your heart
health measures up. Call
(208) 625-6800.
Cardiac Rehab
Education Classes
Thursdays, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Learn about nutrition and
cardiac health. Open to patients,
family members and caregivers.
Call (208) 625-4690.
Fitness Programs
Activity for Life (AFL)
Open gym time for those looking
to stay active in a safe setting.
Balance and Fit
Mondays, 1 p.m.
Get fit and stay active in a
safe environment. Call
(208) 625-4690.
Mended Hearts
Meeting times vary.
Former cardiac patient support
group. Call (208) 625-4690.
For more information about
cardiac or pulmonary classes,
call (208) 625-4690.
blood pressure were immediately
escorted to the emergency room.
“A lot of times, people who come
in for screenings don’t have a
regular physician,” she said. “They
consider themselves healthy, but at
least 20 percent of the people we
see are surprised by their numbers
and directed to get follow-up care
with a physician.”
Coeur d’Alene resident John
Edgar said he has participated in
the Heart to Heart™ screening pro-
gram several times since his heart
attack in 2003. For John, the
screenings are an important part
of his effort to maintain a healthy
lifestyle and prevent a second
cardiac event.
“The screening is a good indica-
tor of where you are, versus where
you should be, and it gives you the
information you need to stay within
normal parameters,” said John,
who also helps lead Kootenai’s
Mended Hearts cardiac support
group. “It’s a very worthwhile and
affordable program.”
Since its inception in 2003, the
Heart to Heart™ risk-screening
program has screened more than
10,000 people in the community.
As part of the program, businesses
can also partner with Kootenai to
offer screenings to their employees
within their workplace.
The Heart to Heart™ community
screenings are offered in February
on Tuesdays and Fridays, 7:30 to
9:30 a.m., in Kootenai’s Heart
Center classroom.
Source:
T A K E T H E T E S T
For more information and
to register for a screening,
call (208) 625-6800. Jane Bosko (left) and Karie Anderson
participate in Kootenai Health’s cardiac
fitness class.
KH . ORG 13