HealthFair and Living4Burke Provide Health Tests for Student Athletes

HealthFair and Living4Burke provide health tests to detect heart conditions in student athletes.

Winter Park, Florida, June 13, 2013 – HealthFair and Living4Burke partnered together to provide health screenings to 158 high school student athletes last October, which resulted in the detection of 10 abnormalities. Success and increased awareness in the dangers of undetected heart conditions has prompted them to host another health testing event on June 15, 2013 at Crawfish Aquatics in Baton Rouge, LA. HealthFair will perform an echocardiogram, electrocardiogram (EKG), and a blood pressure test on approximately 50 high school student athletes to identify any undetected, potentially life-threatening heart conditions.

The Living4Burke Foundation is offering HealthFair’s convenient cardiovascular screenings at a low-cost rate to raise awareness of the dangers of sudden cardiac death in student athletes. Their sole mission is to honor Burke Cobb, a 14-year-old student athlete whose life was cut short by an undiagnosed heart condition, and help spare other families the tragedy they have had to endure. After Burke’s passing, family members reached out to their friend, Zachary Schrah’s mother who founded Living4Zachary. Schrah mentioned the positive impact HealthFair’s screenings have made in Living4Zachary’s mission, and the Cobb family felt confident in choosing HealthFair.

After a successful health screening campaign last October, Burke’s family felt confident in continuing their relationship with HealthFair because it is “convenient and provides the service we are looking for in a mobile unit. Our experience was very positive.” Kristen Simpson, Burke’s aunt, shared, “parents were very relieved, and although the children were apprehensive coming in, they were very confident coming out knowing that their hearts are safe to play sports. We were definitely surprised that the rate of abnormalities was higher than we expected.”

Overall, 627 student athletes have been screened and 56 abnormalities have been identified thanks to HealthFair’s relationship with Living4Burke and Living4Zachary. Donations to Living4Burke help provide HealthFair’s life-saving screenings to families of student athletes at a low-cost rate. For more information please visit HealthFair Health Tests and Living4Burke.

About HealthFair

HealthFair is the national leader in mobile clinics, and is the only health test company that is accredited by the prestigious Joint Commission. HealthFair provides preventive health tests that identify critical abnormalities that lead to a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, cancer and more. More than 75 hospitals trust HealthFair to help bring affordable, quality and life-saving health tests to people in communities across North America.

About Living4Burke

The Living4Burke Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent other student athletes from falling victim to sudden cardiac failure, in honor of Burke Cobb. The organization raises awareness of the possibilities and dangers of undetected heart conditions, and provides low-cost cardiovascular screenings to student athletes.

TrueBlue Community Commitment

Roadmap to a Healthy Heart

Jan Tilley, MS RD LD

Did you know heart disease is the number one cause of death among women?  More importantly, did you know it is preventable?  February is American Heart Month. All across the country, women are taking control of their health by making heart healthy choices.

Now is the perfect time to start the journey to a healthy heart. Here are tips and suggestions to help you make healthy changes that are good for you and your entire family.

1. Achieve a desirable cholesterol level. There are two things you can do to make a huge impact. First, limit saturated fat and trans fat like butter, cheese and high-fat meats – they can raise your blood cholesterol levels. Instead choose foods that are higher in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats – like avocados, nuts, peanut butter and olive or canola oil – they will reduce your blood cholesterol and help you  build a healthy heart. Second, add more soluble fiber to your diet. During digestion, soluble fiber forms a gel with water and binds some cholesterol, which is then eliminated from the body.  Soluble fiber foods include Cheerios, oatmeal, beans, apples, oranges and pears.
2. Achieve an overall healthy eating pattern. Eat more whole grains, get plenty of fruits and vegetables, eat more calcium-rich foods like low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese, choose lean proteins like meats, poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs, and nuts.
3. Achieve a healthy body weight. Controlling your portion sizes and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise six days a week, will get you off to a good start toward achieving a healthy weight.
4. Achieve a desirable blood pressure level. High blood pressure puts you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. Reduce your high blood pressure through exercise, losing weight (a healthy weight means less work for the heart), eating more fruits and vegetables, and consuming less salt – no more that 1 teaspoon of salt per day, and RELAX – practice techniques daily to control stress.The very best gift you can give yourself and your family this Valentine’s Day is to build a healthy heart, the most important organ in your body.

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Shedding Light on Congestive Heart Failure

New Yorkers and politicians alike are mourning the loss of an “an irrepressible icon,” as described by New York City Mayor Bloomberg on Friday, February 1.  For 12 years, Edward Irving Koch led the city with zest, but unfortunately lost his life to congestive heart failure at age 88.

Marriage May Cut Heart Attack Risk for Both Spouses

Finding lends support for vow to take ‘in sickness and in health’

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) — Marriage appears to reduce the risk of heart attacks for both men and women, according to researchers in Finland.

Other studies have shown that being single or living alone increases the risk for developing and dying from heart disease. Many of these studies, however, were only among men, the researchers said, while this new study includes both sexes.