…second screening set for Jan 5th, 2019
Did you know that heart disease is the most common cause of death?
It kills as many men as women and ten times as many women as breast cancer (AHA, 2016) – think about that for a minute.
According to the CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, about 630,000 Americans die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. This occurrence is also prevalent in the West Indian community, where high blood pressure and heart disease are all too common.
To help illuminate this issue and help citizens in the Richmond Hill community with early detection, Faith Assembly Church, Pastored by Rev. Ejaz Nabie, in partnership with Dr. Perry Frankel and Advanced Cardiovascular Diagnostics, Dr. Taj Rajkumar and Assemblyman David Weprin, held an all-day event that included cardiovascular testing, detection, prevention and solutions.
The skilled Advanced Diagnostics Cardiovascular staff provided attendees with targeted testing that included non-invasive life-saving examinations such as echo cardiograms, abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasounds and transcranial dopplers, all of which were free of cost if not covered by insurance.
Attendees came in and out of the third floor hall every hour and were greeted by the helpful personnel. They were asked to fill out a questionnaire that would offer a snapshot into the patient’s medical history. Some questions included “do you have a history of high blood pressure?” and “do you experience shortness of breath,” which would help the nurses and specialists to better evaluate individual needs. Eighty three (83) individuals were served with the various tests.
“This event was an overwhelming success,” reported Dr. Taj Rajkumar who utilized his almost two decades of community activism and political experience to mobilize key leaders to promote it.
According to Dr. Frankel, “the biggest component
in fighting cardiovascular diseaseis diet.”
Generally speaking, the West Indian community rarely ponders the nutritional value of the traditional West Indian foods eaten on a daily or weekly basis. One never asks, how many carbohydrates are in a ‘buss-up shut’ roti or how much sodium is in a serving of pepper pot. While there’s no need to break from tradition, it’s time to start thinking about how the food we eat today will influence our tomorrow.
For more information on the next health screening which will be held on January 5th at Faith Assembly Church (120-13 101st Ave, Jamaica, NY 11419), visit www.faithasemblychurch.org or call 718-849-5277 ext 2.
