THIS WEEK, Tobacco 21 was a priority for American Heart Association, American Lung Association and New York State Public Health advocates as they gathered at the Capitol

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  THIS WEEK, Tobacco 21 was a priority for American Heart Association, American Lung Association and New York State Public Health advocates as they gathered at the Capitol Cardiologist, former … Read more

Dutchess Residents Walk for Heart

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Dozens of teams and hundreds of individuals walked for their hearts and to raise funds at the American Heart Association (AHA) at the annual Dutchess Heart Walk on Saturday, March 24th at Marist College. The Heart Walk event is the American Heart Association’s biggest annual fund raiser and awareness event locally, and it promotes healthier lifestyles as a way to prevent the number one and five killers—heart disease and stroke. Online donations are being accepted at www.dutchessulsterheartwalk.org. 

According to the AHA, walking briskly daily and at events like the Heart Walk, can lower your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as much as running. Adults need 30 minutes of physical activity per day, at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week for heart health. Kids need 60 minutes daily.

Pleasant Valley resident, Alexandra Scimeca was honored as the 2018 Heart Walk Honoree to help raise awareness and funds to fight heart disease, including congenital heart defects like the one she was born with. She had heart surgery the day before her 4th birthday. Thanks to early detection, Alexandra was able to go on with her life. She is now a happy, healthy 13-year old.

“I am thankful for my doctors and what they have given me the chance to have a long, happy and healthy life,” she said. Her Heart Walk team is called “Alex’s Angels.”

While genetics and family history are hard at escape for many, the majority of heart disease is preventable with lifestyle changes. The Heart Walk is part of the AHA’s Healthy For Good movement designed to help Americans create lasting change in their health and life, one small step at a time. The approach is simple: Eat smart. Add color. Move more. Be well. Healthy For Good encourages healthier eating, including colorful fruits and vegetables, exercising 30 minutes daily, and focusing on whole body wellness including reducing stress and getting enough sleep. Learn more at healthyforgood.heart.org. 

Events like the Heart Walk fund the AHA’s critical research and awareness programs that help save lives from cardiovascular diseases like heart disease and stroke – the number one and five killers in the U.S. The AHA’s funding for pediatric cardiac research is second only to the federal government. Thanks to AHA advocacy, a 2013 law was passed in New York State to ensure that every baby born receives pulse-oximetry testing, which can help identify heart defects immediately after birth. AHA programs in schools help children to create healthy habits while they’re young. The AHA also creates guidelines for, and trains parents, caregivers, and medical professionals in infant and child CPR. www.heart.org/CPR.

For more information on supporting the American Heart Association’s mission, contact Danielle Schuka, Event Director, at the American Heart Association at (845) 867-5379 or by email Danielle.Schuka@heart.org.

The Heart Walk Presenting Sponsors are Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Northern Dutchess Hospital, The Heart Center, Laerdal, and the David Ping Group. Media sponsors include Townsquare Media, Now 97.7, Southern Dutchess News and Hudson Valley Magazine. #HVheartwalk

 

The American Heart Association hosts inaugural summit on social determinants of health; addresses barriers and solutions to healthy living and wellbeing in urban communities

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EmPOWERED To Serve™ Urban Business Storytelling Competition identifies viable solutions and names three winners to implement concepts in local communities DALLAS, October 19, 2017 — The American Heart Association, the … Read more

2017 Rochester Heart Walk & Run April 22nd @ Frontier Field

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MEDIA ALERT! MEDIA ALERT! MEDIA ALERT! 2017 ROCHESTER HEART WALK & RUN WHO:                   Rochester American Heart Association WHAT:                 2017 Rochester Heart Walk & Run WHERE:              Frontier Field WHEN:                April 22, 2017. Registration … Read more

Kim learned the signs of stroke when her children participated in Jump Rope For Heart. So when she couldn’t speak or use her right hand, she knew she needed help right away. Kim called 911 immediately and today she runs Marathons. Here is Kim’s story.

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May 26, 2015, I woke up like any other day. I was 3 months out from running the marathon in Pennsylvania to qualify for The Boston Marathon 2016. My children … Read more

Women, the Electric System and Pacemakers

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By Guest Blogger Dr.   Suzanne Steinbaum Director, Women’s Heart Health Heart and Vascular Institute, Lenox Hill Hospital                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Heart disease is the number one killer of women but that doesn’t mean … Read more

Rufus Judson, CEO of The Pike Companies Chairs the Rochester American Heart Association Go Red For Women Luncheon on World Stroke Day, October 29th and talks about “wearing” the “Red Ladies” campaign like a badge of honor

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I am proud to chair the 12th Annual Go Red For Woman Luncheon, which takes place October 29, 2015 on World Stroke Day. This event is the culmination of the … Read more

DANFORM SHOES WINS INAUGURAL HEART WALK CUP CHALLENGE

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More than 600 Heart Walk participants and volunteers gathered at Oakledge Park in Burlington on Saturday, September 26, 2015. Families, co-workers and survivors gathered under sunny skies to celebrate the Vermont Heart Walk and raised more than $60,000 to support vital research and education. The top fundraising team was Danform Shoes who raised $3,082. They are the first to win the Heart Walk Cup which is a friendly competition to encourage local teams to support the mission of the American Heart Association.

Heart disease remains the number one killer of Americans, claiming a life every 90 seconds. Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the United States, killing more than 129,000 people a year. That’s why Vermont residents are inspired to participate in the Heart Walk each year, many in honor of someone they love who is affected by cardiovascular disease.

The Heart Walk is an American Heart Association celebration to build healthier lives, free from cardiovascular disease and stroke. The event featured free health screenings, health advice from experts, giveaways, a kids’ zone, healthy snacks and a free Subway lunch. Dozens of heart disease and stroke survivors of all ages attended, wearing red “Survivor” caps and “Little Heart Hero” capes.

The American Heart Association uses the funds raised through the Heart Walk to finance cutting-edge scientific research, conduct public and professional educational programs and advocate for public health. In Vermont alone, $700,000 in scientific research is currently funded by the American Heart Association at the University of Vermont.

The Vermont Heart Walk is sponsored nationally by SUBWAY® and locally by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, Star 92.9, Local 22 and Local 44

A Healthy Family Starts At Home And It Starts With You

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The American Heart Association wants families to feel they can, and are fully equipped to, make healthy choices in the home and within their everyday activities – without throwing schedules completely off or leaving wallets empty.

Today, about one in three American kids is considered overweight or obese. To help raise awareness and make parents and caregivers more conscious of their lifestyle choices during Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, the Life is Why Family Health Challenge™ will help them take the “controls” back, leaving them feeling empowered to make small moderations in their lifestyle that will lead to bigger, heart-healthy changes down the road.

Broken down into four themed weeks, the challenge is offered by the American Heart Association on its Facebook page, listed as an event, and encourages parents and caregivers, to take the challenge online, with the help of free tools and resources provided to them throughout the week in the forum. This online group also allows parents and caregivers to act as supports to one another during the challenge and participate in peer-to-peer conversations as they share their successes and address areas they feel they may be lacking.

The week-by-week overview of the challenge includes:

  • Week 1 –“My Cart is Why”– The American Heart Association recommends eating a variety of fruit and vegetable servings every day. Learn how to increase your fruit and veggie consumption on a budget.  Make shopping a fun and easy activity for you and your kids.
  • Week 2 – “My Glass is Why” – Sugary drinks can cost you your energy and your health, don’t let others sugarcoat your future and let’s make sugary drinks a thing of the past without feeling thirsty.
  • Week 3 – “My Taste is Why” – Most adults eat more than double the amount of sodium recommended by the AHA. Tame your taste buds by reducing the sodium in your foods and on your plate.  Be sodium aware…if you dare!
  • Week 4 – “My Movement is Why” – AHA recommends kids get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity aerobic activity every day. Make physical activity fun, simple and memorable with your family.  Quick activities that easily integrate into your daily life – no matter your schedule.

“The Life is Why Family Health Challenge™ was crafted to be simple, quick, and fun for families to do together,” commented (INSERT NAME OF SPOKESPERSON HERE) “Childhood obesity is a sensitive subject and we tend to see that the trend starts at home, but it doesn’t have to. Once parents realize just how easy it is to live healthier without adding extra time to their schedules, it will help them to maintain the changes they made in September throughout 2015 and beyond.”

By the end of the challenge, families should finish out the month feeling accomplished and realizing that adopting these four areas into their everyday lives is something that’s easy to attain.

This September, join the American Heart Association, and families across the country, to make a change in your life and the lives of your loved ones. Visit www.heart.org/healthierkids to learn more about the Life is Why Family Health Challenge™ and access the free activities and templates today. Remember, change starts at home and it starts with you as the caregiver of your home.

American Heart Association announces 34th annual Heart Ball

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The Buffalo Niagara Division of the American Heart Association (AHA) is pleased to announce Anthony J. Baynes, Chairman of A.J. Baynes Group, and James W. CAnthony Baynesornell, CEO of Praxiis Advisors, as the volunteer co-chairmen for the 2014 Heart Ball. The annual black-tie event will take place on Saturday, May 31st at the Hyatt Regency Downtown. Baynes and Cornell are leading the organization’s appeal to the local business community to support the AHA’s mission to build healthier lives, free from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by supporting the event.

For more than 30 years, the Buffalo Niagara Heart Ball has promoted the AHA’s mission on a local level, and thanks to the support of community donors, there have been inspiring advances in the fight against heart disease and stroke, including:

  • Innovative Research.  Bright young researchers do pioneering work because AHA funding has produced revolutionary discoveries that have led to CPR, clot-busting drugs, the pacemaker, and drug-eluting stents.  Currently, the AHA funds $1.8 million in research grants in Western New York.
  • Vital Local Education.  Providing resources to the Buffalo Niagara Region for wellness programs in the workplace and in schools.  The AHA offers tools to lower risk factors, to recognize warning signs, and to respond in an emergency.
  • Quality Health Care.  Funds raised help the American Heart Association develop guidelines that give patients the best possible care. The AHA guidelines help doctors and hospitals put evidence-based protocols in place.
  • A Voice in Government.  The AHA advocacy network champions key issues at the local, state and national levels to make us all safe from our region’s leading killer, cardiovascular disease. One recent success includes the passage of the pulse-ox law – a simple, non-invasive screening test for all newborns that could identify a congenital heart defect that may otherwise go undetected.

“Jim and I are both survivors, so this cause is very personal for us. And we are certainly not alone, almost everyone knows someone affected by heart disease and have seen the benefits of the American Heart Association’s work,” states Baynes. “We are making strides,” Cornell agrees. “The prevalence of heart disease in our community is devastating, but we can change these statistics. Heart disease and stroke can be prevented.”

For more information on table and sponsorship opportunities please contact the American Heart Association at 716-614-1985. The American Heart Association’s Heart Ball is locally sponsored by, A.J. Baynes Group,Praxiis Advisors, and WGRZ.