News

Beebe Medical Centers to Host Annual Community Heart Fair

02/02/10

Beebe Medical Center once again is highlighting the importance of heart health during February, the official American Heart Month.

Beebe Medical Center will host the 6th Annual Community Heart Fair on Thursday, February 18, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. The event, which normally draws more than 1,000 people, promises to be even better, with more booths and more exhibitors, as well as the traditional offerings of free screenings, health education, food and entertainment.

Free screenings to be offered will be cholesterol screenings, blood pressure checks, glucose screenings, body mass index calculations, and stroke risk assessments -- those that can alert one of the possibility of cardiovascular disease.

We look forward to sponsoring this event for our community, says Peggy Bixler, RN, MSN, CEN, Beebe Medical Center Community Health Nurse Coordinator and event organizer. Heart disease continues to be the No. 1 killer and so we are focused on ways to prevent heart disease, as well as ways to treat it. The first thing we need to do is to establish our risk factors, which is why we do the screenings.

Those taking part in the event represent several walks of life that focus on healthy lifestyles and prevention and treatment of heart disease. Beebe Medical Center representatives include those from Nutritional Services, Respiratory Services, Home Health, Cardiovascular Services, Diabetes Management, the Sleep Disorder Center and Gull House, a daycare for adults with physical and mental disabilities. The American Heart Association also will be represented, as well as Mended Hearts, the non-profit support organization for people who have had open-heart surgery. Representatives from Beebe Medical Center's Patient Financial Services and the state-funded Community Healthcare Access Program (CHAP) will be on hand to discuss financial aid so that people get the medical care that they need.

A representative from The Sussex Family YMCA will be on hand to share information on exercise and fitness programs offered through the Rehoboth Beach location. Representatives from Delaware QuitLine and the Blood Bank of Delaware will be available to discuss their programs. Linda Leonard, the Consumer Health Librarian based at Lewes Public Library, will be available to talk about the educational programs that she offers. Representatives from Beltone Hearing Aid Center will carry out free hearing tests and representatives from Halpern Eye Associates will offer visual acuity tests.

Other Beebe Medical Center programs and services will be represented. Certified Diabetes Educators will be available to offer helpful information to those with diabetes. They also will have educational materials available for free. Beebe's diabetes self-management education program has been awarded continued recognition from the American Diabetes Association for offering high-quality education to the patients it serves. The classes are offered at Beebe Medical Center's Diabetes Management outpatient location at the Long Neck Health Campus on Long Neck Road in the Millsboro area. Diabetes is another major risk factor for heart disease.

Rudy Daisey, RRT, RPSGT, a respiratory therapist and manager of the Beebe Medical Center Sleep Disorder Center, also will be on hand with information. Sleep disorders not only cause sleepiness during the day, but if left untreated can lead to cardiovascular disease. Physicians refer patients to the Sleep Disorder Center, located at the Beebe Health Campus on John J. Williams Highway in Rehoboth Beach, where they are tested for the presence of any one of a number of medical problems that can interfere with their ability to sleep.

Those attending the Heart Fair will be entertained by the popular local personality Mario Rocco. Light, healthy snacks will be available throughout the day and lunch will be served. For more information on the event, please call (302) 645-3468.

Beebe Medical Center's cardiology services include a Cardiac Surgery Program, in affiliation with Christiana Care Health System, and an Interventional Cardiology Program, as well as non-invasive cardiac diagnostic procedures and cardiac rehabilitation services.


Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org.