News
Coastal Health District Raises Heart Attack Awareness by Hosting Let's Dance, Savannah: Don't Miss a Beat!
January 27, 2012 - The Coastal Health District will host two events next month as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health "Make the Call. Don't Miss a Beat." campaign to promote heart attack awareness. The first Let's Dance, Savannah: Don't Miss a Beat! event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 11, at Savannah Mall's Center Court and the second event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 25, at Oglethorpe Mall.
Let's Dance Savannah: Don't Miss a Beat! will include free dance classes, blood pressure checks, body mass index screens, and blood glucose testing. The local events are part of a national campaign to educate, engage and empower women and their families on the seven symptoms of a heart attack that most commonly present themselves in women. The purpose of Let's Dance Savannah: Don't Miss a Beat is to make participants aware of the signs of a heart attack and the importance of calling 9-1-1 when they experience any of these signs.
"Many women don't recognize symptoms such as chest pain and pain in the arm, neck, and shoulders as the typical symptoms of a heart attack," said Director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for the Coastal Health District, Cristina Gibson. "These events will not only promote dance as a fun way to exercise, but will also will provide an opportunity to make women aware of heart attack symptoms and what they need to do if they experience any of those symptoms."
The Office on Women's Health urges women to make the call to 9-1-1 immediately if they experience any one or more of the following symptoms:
• Chest pain, discomfort, pressure or squeezing
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Light-headedness or sudden dizziness
• Unusual upper body pain, or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach
• Unusual fatigue
• Breaking out in a cold sweat
Let's Dance, Savannah: Don't Miss a Beat! will feature Maxine Patterson School of Dance, One Spirit Dance Academy, Curves, Abeni Cultural Arts, Silver Liners, Lotus Dance Company, bluknowledge, Champions Training Center, and St. Frances Cabrini Catholic School's Dance Crew. Partners for the events include the Community Cardiovascular Council, Armstrong Atlantic State University Health Science Department, and CVS.
For more information on the national Make the Call. Don't Miss a Beat. campaign, visit www.womenshealth.gov/heartattack.
For more information on the Savannah events, please call 484-1885.