Saint John’s Health Center will be sponsoring free community education forums called “A Woman’s Health — Heart Disease and Stroke” on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and repeated on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Santa Monica Public Library Auditorium.
According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 50 percent of women in the U.S. on average who do not have cardiovascular disease by age 45 will develop cardiovascular disease – including stroke, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease – in their lifetime. The lifetime risk increases with age and cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes. Those who have heart disease, care for someone who does or simply want to better understand, maintain or improve their own cardiovascular health, will benefit from this free educational forum, which will feature Saint John’s distinguished physicians.
Lectures will include: “Chest Pain in Women — Angina, Calcium Scores and Heart Attack” by Richard Wright, MD, FACC, consultative cardiologist (afternoon) and Daniel Wohlgelernter, MD, FACC, Medical Director of Saint John’s Post Coronary Care Unit (evening); “Heart Rate and Rhythm Disorders including Atrial Fibrillation” by Shephal Doshi, MD, Medical Director of Electrophysiology & Pacing (afternoon) and Sarina van der Zee, MD, cardiologist/cardiac electrophysiologist (evening); “Stroke — A Risk at Any Age – including Multi-Infarct Dementia” by Michael Gold MD, FAAN, neurologist; and “Stress and Cardiovascular Health” by Nicole M. Weinberg, MD, FACC, consultative non-invasive cardiologist.
Thirty minutes before the beginning of each forum – Tuesday, Feb. 12, 6 to 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 14, 1:30 to 2 p.m. – a registered dietitian from Saint John’s Nutrition and Diabetes Education Department will provide a “Healthy Hearts” food and nutrition exhibit. Additionally, in the same time period, a physical therapist will be available to answer questions from Saint John’s Performance Therapy Center — a full-service, outpatient physical-rehabilitation and performance-improvement facility specializing in acute and chronic pain disabilities, sports medicine, orthopedic injury and post-op recovery, neurological recovery, hand therapy and custom-splint fabrication.
The community forums are offered free of charge to any interested person as part of the Flora L. Thornton Community Health Education Program at Saint John’s. Seating is limited and advance reservations are required and can be made by calling (310) 829-8453.
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About Saint John’s
Since its founding in 1942 by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Saint John’s Health Center has been providing the patients and families of Santa Monica, West Los Angeles and ocean communities with breakthrough medicine and inspired healing. Saint John’s provides a spectrum of treatment and diagnostic services with distinguished areas of excellence in cancer care, spine, orthopedics, women’s health, cardiac care and specialized programs such as the internationally acclaimed John Wayne Cancer Institute. Saint John’s is dedicated to bringing to the community the most innovative advances in medicine and technology. For more information, visit www.newstjohns.org.
