AMERICAN HEART MONTH “FEBRUARY”2020

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. American Heart Month is held every year to educate people how to prevent heart disease and increase awareness of its effects.

You can make healthy changes to lower your risk of developing heart disease. Controlling and preventing risk factors is also important for people who already have heart disease. Some things you can do to lower your risk or help manage heart disease are:

·       Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.

·       Watch your weight.

·       Get active and eat healthy.

·       Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.

The Wicomico County Health Department offers programs that can help:

1)      SCALE (Sustainable Change and Lifestyle Enhancement) for Families will start a new 12-week group beginning February 6, 2020, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., at the Richard A. Henson Family YMCA, 715 S. Schumaker Dr., Salisbury, MD. SCALE is open to women ages 18 to 55 and their children ages 7 to 17.

The program offers interactive educational sessions about making simple changes around healthier eating and increased physical activity that can add up to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. Sessions include group exercise, a cooking demonstration and a grocery store tour, as well as incentives and tools to implement these changes.

2)      The Stop Smoking Program’s on-going community class is held on Thursdays, 12 noon – 1:00 pm at the Health Department’s location at 801 N. Salisbury Blvd. (Suite 202), Salisbury, MD and is open to any adult who lives or works in Wicomico County.

This program offers the stop smoking medications nicotine patch or gum, and Chantix. The interactive educational sessions also offer group support from fellow quitters.

To find out more or to register for either of these classes, please call 410-334-3480 extension 0 or visit www.wicomicohealth.org. Funding for SCALE is provided by the Maryland Community Health Resource Commission. Funding for the Stop Smoking Program is provided by Maryland’s Cigarette Restitution Fund.

For more information on heart disease and American Heart Month, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s page at www.cdc.gov/heartdisease.