A good start on a healthy heart

Heart disease by the numbers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that heart disease causes 610,000 American deaths each year. This is about one in four people. Considering these numbers, the 735,000 Americans who have a heart attack each year, and the bill of health care, cost of medication and loss of productivity that equals $207 billion for the United States each year, it is clear that heart health is an important medical issue. Heart disease is especially prevalent in women and African-Americans, as it is the leading cause of death for both populations.

What you can you do about it?

The American Heart Association highlights four steps to improved heart health:

• Eat smart: Familiarize yourself with the nutrition labels on the back of food packaging. Knowing about serving size, calories, and % daily value will help you make healthy choices.
• Add color: Increase the amount of colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet. The nutrients in these foods go a long way to help improve not only the heart, but the body as a whole.
• Move more: Get moving as much as you can with enjoyable forms of exercise. The goal is a minimum of 150 minutes a week.
• Be well: Practice mindfulness and self-care. Get enough sleep, manage levels of stress and cultivate healthy social interactions.

What are we doing about it?

The prevalence of heart disease and the growing number of complex cardiac cases has not gone unnoticed. UF Health began an ambitious heart health initiative to construct a facility where its physicians can provide comprehensive heart and vascular care for patients. The UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital, opening in December 2017, will consolidate the various needs and procedures of cardiovascular patients into one building.

The new heart hospital will have 120 beds dedicated to heart and vascular patients. It will feature design elements to improve performance and efficiency while reducing unnecessary patient transport and will speed up treatment time. When dealing with complex cardiovascular issues, efficient treatment and state-of-the-art technology helps save lives. Every second matters.

The UF Health Heart and Vascular team is already well equipped to handle any heart problem, big or small, and the new heart hospital will take treatment outcomes to the next level.

If you wish to make an appointment with UF Health Heart and Vascular Care team, call us at 352.265.0820 or visit our website UFHealth.org/heart.

For more information about the new heart hospital, visit UFHealth.org/BuiltAround.