Get the "Scoop" on Heart Health This Weekend

Syracuse, NY (December 2, 2016) – St. Joseph’s Health is partnering with Tractor Supply Co. to host an event this weekend to educate community members on Early Heart Attack Care, and a chance to win a snow blower.

Shoveling snow is hard work and causes stress on the heart, including elevated blood pressure. Each shovel load of snow can average 16 pounds. When you clear a sidewalk or driveway, all those shovels full of snow add up to a lot of strenuous activity for someone who may have underlying cardiovascular disease or who is often sedentary.

During a heavy snow fall in January 2016, St. Joseph’s treated three patients with heart attacks in the hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory within a two-hour time period. All three patients were shoveling snow at the time they suffered the heart attack.

Shoveling snow can cause someone to have a heart attack who was already at high risk of having one. It can also trigger a heart attack in someone who has cardiovascular disease but who otherwise was not at immediate risk heart attack. And when temperatures drop, the heart has to work harder to help maintain your body’s core temperature. According to the American Heart Association, heart failure is actually the cause of most deaths from hypothermia – a dangerous condition in which the body’s temperature falls below normal.

WHAT: St. Joseph’s Health “Get the Scoop” on Heart Health Event, where customers who buy a snow shovel will be entered to win a snow blower. Drawing will take place on December 23, 2016.

WHEN: Saturday, December 3, 2016 from 9:00am – 12:00 pm

WHERE: Tractor Supply Co. at 3580 Route 31 (near intersection of Routes 31 & 57), Baldwinsville, NY 13027

Customers can also visit the Tractor Supply Co. stores located in East Syracuse or Auburn to enter the contest.

WHO: Dr. Timothy Cobb along with several other St. Joseph’s representatives will be available.

St. Joseph’s will be sharing heart health tips, as well as the following signs and symptom of a heart attack:

1. Chest pressure, fullness, squeezing pain in the center of the chest and spreading to the neck, shoulder or jaw
2. Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath
3. Lower chest discomfort, upper abdominal pressure, back pain, or unusual fatigue

The symptoms of a heart attack may occur hours or even weeks before the actual heart attack occurs. If you or someone you know experiences any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. Every second counts.

If you have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or have risk factors such as high blood pressure or diabetes, talk with your doctor about shoveling safety, and avoid extremes of temperature. Even if you are not aware of any cardiovascular problems, shovel with caution. Be sure to wear warm layers, stay hydrated with water, and take lots of breaks.

To learn more about heart health, visit www.sjhsyr.org/cardiac.

About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a part of Trinity Health.

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