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A few years ago, my husband was having a terrible day at work and developed chest pain. He called his cardiologist, who—though the doctor strongly suspected that stress was the cause—immediately sent him to the hospital for a CT scan. The test showed that he was not having a heart attack, but found a partial blockage unrelated to the chest pain—an unforeseen but lucky discovery, as the doctor was able to catch the problem early. Here’s what didn’t happen to my husband: He wasn’t told by a doctor that he was just having a panic attack, which was what Kathi …

For Immediate Release Program is a component of WHA’s Cities and Communities with Heart Initiative aimed at reducing deaths among women in Nashville from heart disease and stroke NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 21, 2017)  – With more women dying from heart disease and stroke in Nashville than all cancers combined, Mayor Megan Barry and the Women’s Heart Alliance (WHA) unveiled WHA’s Cities and Communities with Heart Workforce Initiative with the goal of improving the heart health of female municipal workers. Employees from the Mayor’s Office and three Metro departments participated in heart health screenings Wednesday at First Tennessee Park. The goal of the screenings …

I grew up in a household where both of my parents worked. My father was the breadwinner with the high-powered job that propelled my family solidly into America’s upper middle class. My mother’s job as a teacher, and later, as a social worker, was also important to our family’s bottom line. Like many moms, she was responsible for taking care of the house and the needs of me, my sister and my father in addition to her own needs. My father took care of the outside—mowing the lawn and doing handyman-type work. My sister and I had to help and …

Earlier this year, I took to the podium at the launch of WHA’s Cities and Communities with Heart Initiative (CCHI) Nashville to talk about the importance of shining a light where I can on the issues that matter to me, to women and to all of us – especially the importance of women prioritizing their health. Because we tend to take care of ourselves last, we are also less likely to go to the doctor if something doesn’t feel quite right and we’re more likely than men to die following a heart attack. We all are busy, but we must …

Caring for the Caregiver will make heart screenings and prevention efforts available to local nurses NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Cities and Communities Heart Initiative Nashville (CCHI Nashville) today announced the launch of Caring for the Caregiver, a program to improve cardiovascular health and reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors among nurses in Nashville’s hospitals and health systems. Program partners TriStar Health, an HCA affiliate, and Saint Thomas Health, part of Ascension, have kicked off screening and prevention programs across their facilities. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee and Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute will follow later in the year. In Davidson County, …