New heart institute gives education opportunities
New heart institute gives education opportunities
Teaching spills out into community, as well
The new Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, which opened Sept. 14, 2009, not only focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, but also prevention.
According to Holly Andersen, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and assistant attending physician who serves as director of education and outreach, the cardiac community is good at treating patients - but not at preventing heart disease.
"The new center does patient education, but also outreach education. The way to impact the disease is to put more money into prevention instead of the next best drug or medical device," says Andersen.
There are several ways the institute provides an opportunity for those who are not patients to learn about heart disease. A five-story public atrium, which is the gateway to the Perelman Heart Institute, has an interactive education resource center. While patients use the center to view videos at computer kiosks on procedures they are scheduled for and obtain other information, it is designed to attract and educate members of the public as well.
The waiting area for most family members is near the resource center. Andersen says that families are a captive audience at this time and are interested in heart health, because a loved one is having a procedure or being treated for a heart attack.
The public is drawn to the education resource center when they attend scheduled screenings for blood pressure, glucose, and lipids.
As people exit the resource center, they pass a healthy food kiosk with literature on the topic that includes how to read food labels and how to shop.
A comfort zone in the patient lounge is a place for patients and family members to come listen to presentations on nutrition, stress reduction, meditation, and massage therapy.
Opportunities for education are not limited to the institute. Andersen plans to take education on prevention beyond the walls with community outreach. In preparation, she testified before the New York City Council in February and came away with ideas on how to help community members practice prevention. For example, she learned that in some communities, it is common to have fried chicken dinners with church members on Sunday. Therefore, she will come up with ways to get into these local churches and teach women how to make healthier meals by changing their recipes, so they use less salt and saturated fats.
Also, Andersen is working on a program with the American Heart Association aimed at school children. It will bring exercise into the classroom, especially in schools where there is no gym, and work for better nutrition in the school cafeteria.
In addition to educating the public, Andersen says there is a need to educate the medical community. Although heart disease is the number-one cause of death among women, they are not educated on the topic, because many see gynecologists during their childbearing years. These physicians must be taught to screen for risk factors, says Andersen.
It is never too early to begin education and screening; therefore, pediatricians must be educated as well, she says.
Prevention of heart disease is as much about physical activity, diet, sleep, and stress reduction as it is about blood pressure and the size of a person's waistline, says Andersen. Education and outreach can save lives by helping people adopt healthier lifestyles, she adds.
SOURCE
For more information about the education program at the Perelman Heart Institute, contact:
Kathleen Robinson, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Telephone: (212) 821-0560. E-mail: [email protected].
The new Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, which opened Sept. 14, 2009, not only focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, but also prevention.Subscribe Now for Access
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