Getting heart healthy: River Park Hospital promotes wellness

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard

Andrea Lupo, left, looks on while Andrea Carroll gives Rachel-Ann E. Segui a treat during the fair. Rachel-Ann is the 5-year-old daughter of Rowena and Randy Segui.

Heart Health Fair recently presented by River Park Hospital in conjunction with the American Heart Association was a pulse pounding success with almost 300 participants taking advantage of the many tests and health checks offered to the public free of charge. The fair was also a treasure trove of information about health services and new and important trends in health care.

“As you know, heart disease is very prevalent in this area,” said River Park CEO Steve Otto, “and a really important part of approaching that disease is early prevention, detection and treatment before you get sick. Obviously we like to see our community healthy so they don’t have to come to the hospital. We’re prepared when they do, when they have heart attacks and things like that. We’re going to take care of them the best we can, but we’d sure like for them to know in advance where they can get the necessary treatment so it doesn’t come to that.”

Centennial Medical Center marketing representatives Anna Ross and Russ Gannon were on hand with information on the new and innovative robotic heart surgery now available at Centennial, which, like River Park, is part of The TriStar Health System.

“I think it’s a wonderful health fair,” Ross said. “It’s a great opportunity for the community and it’s a great opportunity for us to get out here and let everybody know what the heart center has to offer at Centennial.”

Ross explained some of the benefits of the revolutionary new surgical technique.

“Currently we offer robotic surgery in both cardiac and neurologic applications,” Ross said, noting this type of surgery offers major benefits to the patient. “Basically the incision, rather than a long opening in the middle of the chest, you have four portholes the size of a dime. So obviously the infection risk is lower, the recovery time is faster, the benefits to the patient just go on and on.”

Once the small incisions are made, the surgeon operates robotic arms with the aid of an internal camera system.

“The robot arms can actually get in places where the human hand cannot,” Ross added. Centennial was the first facility in the southeast to offer the surgery and is a national training center for robotic surgery.

The event also gave local and regional businesses a chance to let residents know about the health services they offer.

“It’s wonderful for the community,” said Roger Ray of Nurse One, a medical staffing agency which supplies hospitals, doctor’s offices and nursing homes with medical personnel, along with home health care. “The biggest thing was just letting folks in the county here locally know who we are and what we do.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the tests given during the Health Fair revealed conditions which needed immediate attention, according to Otto.

“We have had several people that, due to indications, their blood pressure or other indications, have had to straight back to the ER for care,” Otto said. “We’ve caught some serious indications on people that left unattended could have led to more serious consequences. So we’re real pleased about that.”

In the end, everyone concerned found the Heart Health Fair a rousing success.

“We’re really pleased with the turnout,” said River Park Marketing Director Susan Barrett. “We want our community to be healthy and that’s why we’re doing it.”