10 Bringing health care news to your home Care from the heart Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, claiming more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined. That’s why it’s so important for you to know the signs of heart disease and take action to get treatment. Columbus Community Hospital’s Occupational Health Services (OHS) recently collaborated with Columbus Cardiology Clinic to offer heart health screenings for several local companies and their employees. These offerings provided screenings and education to reduce the risk of cardiac and angina events. During the screenings, OHS staff members performed four primary tests: A fingerstick cholesterol screening, height and weight measurement, a blood pressure check and a health history questionnaire. After the employees completed the screenings, they were directed to meet with a member from Columbus Cardiology Clinic for further consultation if they had abnormal results. “I feel meeting with people through these screening events is one of the ways we can have the biggest impact in our community,” said Dr. Sabu George, a cardiologist with Columbus Cardiology Clinic. “It allows us to try to prevent heart disease and increase awareness about controlling its risk factors.” During the 2022-23 fiscal year, providers from Columbus Cardiology Clinic and OHS met with 20 local employers in various industries, including education, manufacturing, city government, public power and financial services. More than 650 combined employees took advantage of this outreach opportunity. Of those individuals, 80 were advised to seek follow-up care with the on-site provider or their primary care provider. Hospital leaders felt strongly about offering this opportunity to the community because it allowed people the chance for health prevention, while also accommodating the time constraints of day-to-day life. Those constraints have historically served as a barrier for individuals seeking care. “This is one of the most impactful things we have done as a clinic,” said Sarah Huettner, APRN, FNP-C, at Columbus Cardiology Clinic. “Primary prevention should be the focus in cardiology. Often, people come to us when it’s too late, and they have already experienced a cardiac event or have heart disease. This allowed us to reach so many people about prevention.” Huettner also noted that the screenings made employees aware of the actions they can take to prevent heart disease. Here in Columbus, our town has created a culture of looking toward the future, investing in each other and building a healthier foundation for the future. But when your heart can’t pump oxygen-rich blood to your brain and other organs, you can’t live a full and healthy life. Kaylia Bender with Pillen Family Farms said her company is a big advocate of employees understanding their numbers and risk factors, which is exactly what the company found with the community cardiology screenings. “The cardiac screenings provided an easy and not intimidating environment for our team to learn more about their health,” Bender said. “Having the cardiologist (Dr. Sabu George) on-site added value to the screenings and ensured our team’s questions or concerns were answered right then and there.” To learn more about Columbus Community Hospital’s Occupational Health Services or Columbus Cardiology Clinic, visit columbushosp.org.
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