Staying “heart strong” is the focus of the month.
With February being recognized nationally as Heart Health Month, Avalon Hospice is hosting a special presentation inside the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library on Monday, Feb. 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help promote the initiative to the community.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Each year one out of every four deaths is caused by heart disease.
“We’re going to set up inside the library and have healthy snacks for the public,” Tara Carroll, RN, BSN, with Avalon Hospice said. “There will also be information available to the public on how to have healthy lifestyles. Our goal is to help promote heart health during this time of the year in conjunction with Heart Health Month.”
Having hospice coming into the community is important moving forward, Carroll added.
“Basically our goal is to go out into each community and provide information about different targeted diseases,” she said. “It’s all about bringing community awareness, engaging a discussion and help promote health to the public. A lot of the time when people hear hospice, they think it is the end of the line. That’s not the case. It’s about educating the public about how to stay healthy.”
Working alongside the public library has also been a joy, according to Carroll.
“It’s been great,” she said. “This gives us an opportunity to reach out to the community in Elizabethton and Carter County to give out more information. We’re hoping to continue this partnership and possibly in the future starting to have more literature in the library to help get the word out about different ways to stay healthy.”
The opportunities are endless for the public wanting to take the initiative and assist in providing information to the public.
Any individual looking to volunteer with Avalon Hospice can contact the facility at (423) 282-0062 and talk to Volunteer Coordinator Pam Vines for more information.